Patricia Arceri Wins Diving Invitational Championship

Huntington eighth grader Patricia Arceri captured first place in the Sachem East Diving Invitational last weekend and senior Rachel Feltman finished sixth as the Blue Devil duo turned in exceptional performances off the 1 meter board in a talented field of 16 competitors.

Arceri scored 399.45 points in the 11-dive format while Feltman notched a mark of 309.80. “Both girls maintained their position from preliminaries through the semi-finals and into the final round,” said Christopher Helmke, Huntington’s head coach. “The girls have performed well overall this season under the excellent coaching and experience of Meg McConnell, our diving coach.”

Huntington’s two diving stars have both qualified for the Suffolk County Championships at Hauppauge High School on November 8. Arceri, who was fifth in the county as a seventh grader, narrowly missed the cutoff for the New York State Championships at Ithaca College on November 22-23 by 10 points last weekend. “It was an amazing accomplishment for this eighth grader,” Helmke said.

Arceri’s older sister, Molly, was a three-time Suffolk County diving champion for the Blue Devils and the state runner-up as a senior. She is now competing as a sophomore at Towson University in Maryland.

Arceri’s father and brother, both named John, are also champions. Her dad was a state wrestling champion as a senior at Ward Melville High School. Her brother, a Huntington sophomore, won the county wrestling title with the Blue Devils last winter.

Feltman, a Blue Devil co-captain this fall, has been a mainstay on Huntington’s team for many years. She finished second in the league and fourth in Suffolk in 1m diving as a junior. “Rachel continues to show her leadership and determination as we work through our season,” Helmke said.

In Arceri and Feltman, Huntington has one of the best 1-2 combinations in Suffolk diving. “Coach Meg and I are proud to coach these young ladies and be a part of their continued success,” Helmke said.