Campbell Proctor & Sena Knopf Pace Huntington Swimmers

Freshman Campbell Proctor and sophomore Sena Knopf swam to All-League honors to pace the Huntington varsity girls’ swimming diving team this past fall. The Blue Devils are the host for a combined team that includes Walt Whitman, Harborfields and John H. Glenn.

Proctor and Knopf proved to be Huntington’s best. Eighth grader Lauren Reed also made significant contributions to the team.

“Campbell is a first year varsity swimmer that shows promising skills in butterfly as a new addition to the team,” said head coach Chris Helmke, who is assisted by Meg McConnell. “She earned top spots to swim at the league and county championships this season.

Proctor’s highlights include: League I championships meet: 200 Medley Relay, All League (50 Fly): 29.62, 100 Butterfly: 1:07.22; Section XI championships meet: 200 Medley Relay (50 Fly): 29.55, 100 Butterfly: :07.11, 200 Free Relay (50 Free): 28.33

Knopf also excelled. “Sena is a third year varsity swimmer that continues to earn her way into top spots for league and county championships,” Helmke said.

Knopf’s highlights include:

League I championships meet: 100 Butterfly: 1:09.83, 200 Free Relay, All League (50 Free): 28.80; Section XI championships meet: 200 Free Relay (50 Free): 28.86

Reed also emerged as a star in the making for the Blue Devils. “Lauren is a second year varsity swimmer that continues to accelerate in events,” Helmke said. “Her hard work earned her a spot to swim at the League I championships meet this season.

Reed’s season highlights include:

League I championships meet: 100 Backstroke: 1:10.61; season best time: 1:08.30

“The 2024 swim season began in August with a combined team of 34 swimmers/divers from Huntington, Harborfields, Walt Whitman and John H. Glenn, Helmke said. “Thanks to these dedicated athletes and supportive parents, we continued to improve upon the season’s success, finishing with a record of 7-2, as well as qualifying to compete at the league, county and state championships.

While Huntington had no seniors on the team, the rest of the collaboration said goobye to five seniors, including Samantha Castano, Megan Condolff, Catherine Muller, Aliana Varjan and Adriana Yaroshevsky. “This solid core of diverse and talented athletes worked hard to secure points and post wins throughout the season and they will be missed,” Helmke said.

The team continued to practice after school at the Huntington YMCA following early season outdoor workouts at the Head of Bay Club and the Centerport Yacht Club.

“Our new and seasoned veterans worked hard this year to improve their best times and as the season progressed into post season, the team’s energy and excitement was evident at the championship meets,” Helmke said. Nine of our athletes (swimmers and divers) fought hard to achieve All League status. Our All League relays: 200 Medley, 200 Free, and 400 Free included Maria Petkovits, Angelina Cuthbertson, Arianna Petkovits, Antonia Cuthbertson,

Sena Knopf, Tara Greco and Campbell Proctor. Maria Petkovits also achieved All League in 100 Backstroke and Ava Vandor placed first in League I diving. In addition, Maria secured All County honors in the 200 Individual Medley and Ava took first place at the Suffolk County diving championships.”

The combined team finished seventh in a field of 21 at the county championships. Diving at the state championships for the first time, Vandor entered the championships ranked 38 out of 39 divers.

“Under the guidance of coach Meg McConnell, Ava quickly moved from the preliminary diving round to semi-finals, slowly moving her way past the competition and into the finals,” Helmke said. “Here, Ava secured her fate finishing in the top 20 and receiving All-State honors. An exciting end to an awesome season.”

All of Huntington’s swimmers will be returning next fall. Helmke plans to retire and move on after teaching science at J. Taylor Finley Middle School for decades. McConnell is expected to be elevated to the girls’ head coach position. She already serves as head coach of the varsity boys’ team, which is also combined with Walt Whitman, Harborfields and John H. Glenn.

Helmke is happy to be going out a winner with a 7-2 record and many post-season honorees.

“Finally, none of this could have been possible without our amazing coaching staff that includes Meg McConnell, Kiri Thomsen and Rufus Shephard,” Helmke said. “In the end, it was an exciting season highlighted by the individual progress of each swimmer combined with an overall team effort.”