'There's no stopping' Kings Park's Perecinsky
King Park's Martin Perecinsky competes in the Boys 200 Yard Freestyle, which he won, during the 2023 NYSPHSAA Boys Championship meet in Ithaca, N.Y., Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Heather Ainsworth) Credit: Heather Ainsworth/Heather Ainsworth
Salute To The Champs: Kings Parks' Martin Perecinsky, Kings Park
Kathleen Lawler was beaming.
She’s Martin Perecinsky’s swimming coach at Kings Park. She used to be his physical education teacher in elementary school.
That kid has grown to be 6-3 and become a state champion as a junior.
Perecinsky claimed the state and Federation titles in the 200-yard freestyle, posting a personal-best and an All-American consideration time of 1:39.34.
“He’s worked really hard for this,” Lawler said. “I think he gets into that zone and there’s no stopping him.”
He improved from a sixth-place state finish in the 200 freestyle in 2022, saying it was a result of “training really hard and going to the gym consistently.”
Perecinsky also posted an automatic All-American time of 49.07 with a close-second showing in the 100 backstroke. The runner-up finish didn’t bother him because he matched his personal-best time.
“So I’m very happy and excited,” Perecinsky said, “and looking forward to how I’m going to do.”