Huntington Senior Max Leroy Swims to All-State Honors

Huntington senior Max Leroy swam to All-State honors at last weekend’s NYSPHSAA championships at Ithaca. The teenager helped lead the Blue Devils to a 7-1 regular season regular and third place finish in the county.

Huntington is the host for what is referred to in Section XI as a “super team.” Joining the Blue Devils are Walt Whitman, Harborfields and John H. Glenn. The team practices at the Huntington YMCA. All meets are at away sites. Huntington is coached by Meg McConnell and Christopher Helmke.

Huntington’s Gavin Deegan and Sam Klaaren garnered spots on the All-League. “This season presented several situations of sickness and injury,” McConnell said. “To ensure the team’s success, this often meant boys had to compete in events that weren’t their first choice. Because they were willing to push themselves in often ‘odd’ events, we were able to attached a 7-1 record in league competition.”

Leroy excelled at five different events plus the relays. “Max has always been a pleasure to coach, even on his worst days,” McConnell said. “Somehow he always manages to smile through it all. His wide swimming abilities contributed greatly to our team’s success. He will be missed next year.”

Deegan, a sprint freestyler, will also be missed as he prepares to graduate. “Gavin is a quiet, polite hard worker,” McConnell. “His uses incredible strength to power through tough workouts and always gives maximum effort in all his races.”

Klaaren, a junior who swims middle and long distance events will be returning next winter. “Sam has really come into his own as a strong distance swimmer while still maintaining great sprinting ability,” McConnell said. “We look to him to be a great role model in his senior year.”

Huntington’s teammates from Walt Whitman, Harborfields and John H. Glenn also won awards. “Combining boys from four districts with very limited pool time is a challenge from a ‘team building’ standpoint for sure, but these athletes worked hard from the get-go to become a cohesive group,” McConnell said. “The swimmers were all understanding of our small rosters and our efforts to maintain a successful program while dealing with various sickness issues this winter.”

The Blue Devil roster also included eighth graders Owen McGaw and Frenklin Vojka; freshman TJ Peters; sophomore Quinn Rinaldi and junior Ryan Donovan. All five will return along with Samuel Klaaren.