Justin Plaschka just wins for Hauppauge swimming
Hauppauge's Justin Plaschka swims in the preliminaries of the 200 yard butterfly. (March 1, 2013) Credit: Adrian Kraus
Justin Plaschka keeps winning and winning and winning. Though he's lost track of exact number, Hauppauge swimming coach Rich Lionetti said the senior has won every dual-meet event he's entered since his freshman year.
"We can plug him into every event," Lionetti said. "He can go against any other team's best swimmer and he just neutralizes the opponent."
Against West Islip on Friday night, Plaschka won the 200-yard individual medley in 1 minute, 55.64 seconds and the 100 backstroke in a time of 49.78 to lead undefeated Hauppauge (4-0) over West Islip 99-85 in League II.
"He tells us what he wants to swim and he goes out and does it," Lionetti said.
Plaschka has already qualified for the state championships. Last year, he finished second place in states in the 100 butterfly (48.92) and fourth overall in the 100 freestyle (45.86).
What's the one thing that could make Plaschka better? More of a breather. During those events, he had only a six-minute break. Plaschka said that if he chose different events with a spacious break in between, he could have placed higher. "This year, I want to come home with two first-place finishes," Plaschka said.
Plaschka still remains modest, even though he's one of the top swimmers on L.I. "I'm proud of my accomplishments and I've worked very hard to get where I'm at," Plaschka said. "But before the season's over, I want to be able to improve more."
Plaschka has already committed to Notre Dame. "I committed in October after I decided it would be a great fit for me," Plaschka said. "The team is great and I knew I would enjoy myself there."
As for now, Plaschka will be a dominant force in helping Hauppauge maintain its undefeated season. "He's great at what he does," Lionetti said. "The kid is a machine."
