Blue Devil Swimmers Find Success
A lack of divers cost the Huntington boys’ swimming team dearly this past season. The Blue Devils compiled an overall mark of 2-8, but did find individual success.
The 14-member team was coached by Gil Smith and Meg McConnell. Huntington finished seventh in the league standings, 11th in the county meet and 22nd in the New York State championships.
Captained by Gunther Cassell and Spencer Young, the Blue Devils were a feisty squad. “It was a hardworking team that gave it their best effort,” Smith said. “The team continues to have success in post-season competition. With a little more depth in some events, we could have had a better than .500 won-lost record.”
Cassell led Huntington with another great season. The junior set six Blue Devil records en route to All-State honors in two events and All-American honors in the 100 breaststroke. He was second in the state finals in the breaststroke and fifth in the 200 IM as his backstroke improved dramatically this year.
The three-time All-American and two-time state champion “will have a chance to break all swimming event team records next year,” Smith said about Cassell.
Junior Dan McCartney continued as one of the top league sprinters in the pool, excelling in the 50 and 100 freestyle events. The teenager was All-League in the 200 medley relay.
Senior Spencer Young “showed great improvements in the 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle,” Smith said. His 50 butterfly time earned the teenager a spot on Huntington’s All-League 200 medley relay.
Seventh grader Tom Peer shined in his first season on the varsity, scoring points in three separate events and turning in the fourth fastest time in the 100 freestyle, which earned him a spot on the team’s 400 freestyle relay that qualified for the county championships.
Sophomore Matthew Muszynski was still another Blue Devil that displayed marked improvement this year. The teenager cut his times in the 100 backstroke and qualified for the county championships. A member of Huntington’s 200 medley relay that captured All-League honors, Muszynski also swam on the 400 freestyle relay that reached the county championships.
Seventh grader Nate Gamboa is one of the Blue Devils’ top young swimmers. “He performed well in dual meets, especially the 500 freestyle and showed continued improvement in the 200 IM,” Smith said.
Huntington continued its penchant for swimming well in the post-season. “Over 90 percent of our best times came in the leagues and counties,” Smith said.
In most of the team’s dual meets, the Blue Devils and their opponents were close in the scoring, but a lack of divers and not enough depth in certain events hampered Huntington.
Smith is hoping the district finds the funds to reinstate the middle school swimming program in order to get more athletes involved and in the pool. He plans to work on improving the Blue Devil diving program and intends to have upperclassmen help recruit more swimmers for next year’s squad.
Huntington defeated Lindenhurst (53-48) and North Babylon (81-71). The Blue Devils dropped dual meets to Farmingdale (52-43), Sachem East (93-86), Sayville/Bayport-Blue Point (86-62), Hauppauge (94-72), West Islip (52-43), Harborfields (85-71), Deer Park (99-79) and East Hampton /Bridgehampton/Pierson (92-73).
Blue Devil Notes: Senior Molly Brambil served as the team manager . . . Smith, who retired as a teacher several years ago, has said that the 2014/15 season could very well be his final one after founding the Huntington swimming and diving program in 1981/82 and serving as its only head coach ever since . . . The Blue Devils scored 96 points en route to a seventh place finish in the league championships and notched 72 points and an 11th place showing in the Suffolk meet . . . The team also competed in the Jericho Invitational, but no team scores were kept . . . The Huntington squad also included sophomore Matthew McBride, Junior Jean Abecassis and seniors Connor Dyckes, Jesse Feldman Stein, Jeremy Gelb, Jake Ryan, Matthew Sherman and Drew Tenbus.