Matt DeBlasio Wins Again For Boys Swim Team

As a team, Half Hollow Hills placed 15th in the Federation State Championships at the Nassau Aquatic Center, but swimmer , a HHH senior, won the 200-yard individual medley (1:50.93), and 100-yard backstroke (50.71).

He told Dix Hills Patch: "To be a senior, at my last high school meet ever, it's a great feeling. After last year, when I placed second in the IM, to a senior, I really wanted to win this one." 

On the 200 win: "My first 100 [yards] I felt awesome, then all of a sudden [I] just started dying slowly and slowly, I was just able to hold on till the end." 

On the backstroke win: "It was just the opposite. I wasn't out with the competition, then the last lap I pulled it out." 

On the Section XI team: "Us guys from Section XI know each other for a really long time, so it's just a great team bonding experience.  It's great to know kids from other high schools, just to hang out with them, it's really fun." 

DeBlasio is heading to next year. 

HHH coach Jason Wiedersum had this to say about DeBlasio's big day, "He did what he came here to do; he put in the work and he accomplished both of his goals, which was to take those two events." 

On DeBlasio's leadership: "He's developed as a leader really since middle school.  He has some guys he'd look up to and they taught him the ropes, but he took over the reins early in his career. I couldn't have asked for a better student-athlete in this program."

HHH's star diver, Ryan Savit, who Wiedersum was also very proud of, finished third at the Federation state diving championship with a score of 498.90.

Hills had eight athletes swimming in the competition:

• Matthew DeBlasio, senior captain
• Laurence Yu, senior captain
• Jared Siegel, senior
• Isaac Vingan, junior
• Peter Podniesinski, junior
• Michael Mattera, freshman
• James Gordin, 8th (West Hollow)
• Ryan Savit, junior, diver