Huntington Girls’ Swimmers Ready to Make a Splash

The Huntington High School girls’ swimming and diving team is ready to make a splash with a young lineup. Coached by Christopher Helmke and Meg McConnell, the Blue Devils are the host for what Section XI dubs a “super team.” The squad includes Walt Whitman, Harborfields and John H. Glenn.

The Blue Devils and their teammates have been training outdoors at the Huntington Bay Club and the Centerport Yacht Club. They will move indoors to the Huntington YMCA soon.

Eighth graders Patricia Abruzzo, Riley Lewis, Lauren Reed and Lena Sullivan; freshman Campbell Proctor; sophomores Gemma Bedell, Alison Hahn, Avery Joynt, Sena Knopf and Ella Van Horn and junior Jessica Lee comprise the Huntington contingent.

The 11 Blue Devils are joined by 11 athletes from both Walt Whitman and Harborfields and two from John H. Glenn. With 35 members it is one of the largest teams in Section XI.

Huntington opens the season on Thursday against Sachem East. Meets with West Islip, Lindenhurst, Half Hollow Hills/Kings Park, Brentwood/Bay Shore, Sachem North, Northport/Commack, Hauppauge/Smithtown and William Floyd will follow.

The league championships will be contested at Hauppauge with diving on October 28 and swimming on October 30. The Suffolk diving championship will be held on November 7 with the swimming championship on Sunday, November 10. The state championships will be held in Rochester on November 22-23.

With such a young group, the Blue Devils are a wildcard in competition as they mature and rapidly lower their times. Helmke is optimistic that more than one will make a breakthrough.