Park, Honore win at Pirate

Yuen picks up medal in girls’ meet

By: Justin Feil
   Brian Honore stood hood over his head, executioner style, before the 500 freestyle at the Boys’ Pirate Invitational on Sunday.
   The West Windsor-Plainsboro High South junior then dismantled the competition to capture one of three individual titles for the host Pirates. Honore earlier finished sixth in the 200 free, a finish that prompted his extra attention to the 500.
   "After the 200, I just knew I had to make up for it somehow," Honore said. "The only way to do it was to win the 500. I figured I might as well go for it. That’s what you have to do, you have to forget the race you swam and focus on the next one."
   Jay Park won the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly for the other two South titles as the Pirate boys finished fifth as a team, one day after the WW-P South girls came in fourth at the Girls’ Pirate Invitational led by Evelyn Yuen’s first-place finish in the 100 breaststroke Saturday.
   "We did a good job," said South head coach Paul Hamnett. "They did a very good job. The girls overall had some really quality swims. We’re preparing ourselves for the finishes.
   "The boys did very well. It was a good day from top to bottom even for the guys that didn’t make finals."
   The Pirates hope to build on their strong finishes over the weekend when they host Princeton High 4 p.m. today in a key Colonial Valley Conference meet.
   "I definitely think we can build on it," Honore said. "We have the Lawrence meet coming up. That’s going to be a really big meet. We’re going to feed off the energy from this meet.
   "We’re not so much overlooking (Princeton). Since the Pirate was (Sunday), we’re still going to feel the effects and be pretty pumped up. Everyone swam really, really well (Sunday)."
   Honore’s win the 500 free made his day a good one. It was a long day for him. In addition to two heats of the 200 and 500 free races, he also swam on two Pirate relays. The South boys were seventh in the 200 medley relay in which he swam the backstroke leg, and fourth in the 400 free relay to end the meet.
   "Brian swam about 10 or 12 events this weekend," Hamnett said. "The last couple had to be tough on him. He gutted it out and did a really good job."
   Honore set an example for the younger Pirate swimmers. That’s important as he looks to move into a leadership position. He’s off to a good start this season.
   "I’m taking more of a role of leadership," Honore said. "I want to try to be captain for next year. I help the captains we have. When people are feeling down, get them feeling good again. And I congratulate everyone when they have a good race."
   Honore deserved plenty of congratulations with his performances Sunday. The Pirate boys also hope that their first big-meet environment pays dividends in the future, and the fifth-place finish is certainly a great launching point.
   "I think it’s a great spot considering the competition is among the top teams in the state," Hamnett said. "There was a really tough competition there this weekend. I think this year was definitely tougher than usual with addition of (Christian Brothers Academy) and Seton Hall Prep being able to make it. We had some newer teams. Vineland and Delbarton added some competition."
   But there was little competition for Honore by the time he got to the 500 free final. It wasn’t what he anticipated after edging to the top seed in the preliminaries.
   "After prelims, I was seeded first, but my time was two-tenths of a second faster than someone else," Honore said. "I wanted it so bad I just took off."
   His reaction to his less than ideal 200 finish and subsequent victory in the 500 were signs of how much improved Honore is this season. He was 12th in the 500 at last season’s Pirate Invitational.
   "I dropped a lot," Honore said. "It was mostly because my high school coaches got me started. Then the head coach of Eastern Express gave me mental toughness that I needed to come out of the 200 seeded third and coming in sixth and then coming back to win the 500."
   Honore’s time was three seconds faster than his high school best 500, and just off his all-time career best. Honore was more concerned with what the effect would be for the team and his strong finish was just what the Pirates were looking for from a team leader.
   "I felt strong," he said. "I had a good swim. Me and Jay, us winning, pumped some other guys up to do well in other events."
   And the resulting strong swims are what Honore believes will help the Pirates down the line as they look to advance to a state sectional final. First, however, there are tests like the Little Tigers today and Lawrence down the road where the effects of the Pirate Invitational can be seen.
   "A lot of kids, it makes you swim your best time," Honore said. "It definitely gives them more hope and opportunity. Coach Hamnett needs to know where he can count on us, where he can put us in big meets.
   "I could watch over the pool, and know when time comes these kids are going to go fast," he added. "We needed fast times (Sunday), and almost everyone got their best times (Sunday)."
   Honore is one swimmer that Hamnett and the Pirates will be counting on this season and next for best times when it matters most. Those times when WW-P South will need its best times are coming, but the Pirate Invitational showed it’s going to take some very fast finishes to beat them. The Pirates’ experience also should help.
   "The schools that were there were really fast schools," Honore said. "We hung in there. None of them can compare to any of the CVC teams. I think we have a really good shot this year."
   The WW-P South girls do as well if they can get by a major hurdle today. PHS and the Pirates are both unbeaten in the CVC.
   "My girls haven’t had a close CVC meet in four or five years," Hamnett said. "This is our closest meet. It could come down to the end relay. We hope a lot of non-club swimmers have good meets."
   It should help that WW-P South is coming off its best meet, another solid performance at the Pirate Invitational.