Hauppauge swimming ready for county meet

With a League II championship under their belt, the Hauppauge boys swimming team is now looking forward to competing at the county meet next Saturday at Suffolk CC-Brentwood.

Coach Rich Lionetti acknowledged the strength of his top swimmers, such as Justin Plaschka, Nick Lauritano and brothers Trevor and Troy Maida, but he gives credit to another group of swimmers.

"A lot of strength on our team comes from our middle kids," Lionetti said. "The kids who come in second and third really performed well."

Kevin O'Keefe, Phil Quartararo, Billy Freilingsdorf, Alex Fisher and Tom Robinson stand out on the squad.

Hauppauge won the meet with a score of 300, and Sayville wasn't far behind finishing with 226.

"The two league meets were probably the two best league meets we've had in a long time," Lionetti said. "There were a lot of fast times."

The Eagles' biggest competition at counties will be Half Hollow Hills, who won the League I championship with a commanding score of 539.

Lionetti said the swimmers will be training strong on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the practices will be scaled down by Friday.

Many eyes will be on Plaschka, a senior who has won every dual-meet event he's entered since his freshman year. He's already committed to Notre Dame.

Said Lionetti: "I think a lot of records are going to be broken next week."