According to second year head coach Tim Mueller, the Westbury boys swimming team was a “rather young team compared to many of our competitors.” They did not use that as an excuse, however, and still fought to the finish line.
“Our athletes have been successful in creating a team that focuses on personal progress and sportsmanship. Through practice and hard work, many have continuously dropped time,” he added.Mueller named two members of the team who have separated themselves from the pack and have been positive contributors to the team.
Donte Willis, senior, “has become an athlete that can compete in a wide variety of events. A versatile swimmer, Donte’s specialty includes the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medley.”
He also pointed to junior Anthony Galeas Castillo, who will be back for his senior year next year looking to be one of the leaders of the team. Castillo “initially came to the team with a limited swimming background. However, in his second year on the team, he has continuously dropped time in the 100 butterfly.”
The team put in a tremendous amount of hard work to get to this point. “Practice is sometimes demanding on our athletes. On average, our swimmers will swim approximately 5-7 miles (330-460 laps) a week. In addition, swimmers are exposed to dry land training programs and weight lifting regimens,” says Mueller.
Westbury possessed a pretty balanced roster in terms of graduating classes. They had three seniors, three juniors, one sophomore and one freshman.
