Tiny Solloway makes big splash for South girls
By: Justin Feil
For one of the tiniest swimmers on the West Windsor-Plainsboro South girls’ swim team, Jess Solloway certainly made a big impact every time she jumped in the pool last week.
The Pirates entered last Tuesday’s showdown with then-unbeaten Princeton High expecting their toughest Colonial Valley Conference meet in Solloway’s career.
"I was really prepared," said the Pirate senior. "We knew it was going to be our hardest meet in four years. All the girls pulled their best all the time. I had it in my head that we were going to win.
"We were all really nervous. It was like our biggest meet in four years. We were all really prepared."
The Pirates won to continue their CVC four-year streak, 89-81, but might not have won so handily if it weren’t for Solloway. She began the meet anchoring the third-place relay as South went 1-3 to take a 10-4 lead in a meet in which they never trailed.
"That was a surprise," Solloway said. "We knew Princeton would stack their medley relay because they had Nina Rossi in it. When we won it and got third, we felt like maybe we could actually do it."
That was only the first surprise for Solloway. In her second event of the day her best individual event she finished second to teammate Milagros Simon while the Pirates’ Kate Woodhull took fourth for a 12-4 advantage in the event to give them a 38-24 edge going into the break.
"We got big points in the relays she was in and in the 50," said South head coach Paul Hamnett. "I had it scored, 86-84, and one of the big advantages was in the 50. That pumped us up as well as the relays."
After the break, Solloway got another surprise, this one not as good when Hamnett stuck her in the 100 butterfly at the last minute. Anything over the 50 can be tough on Solloway, who has exercise-induced asthma.
"I wasn’t prepared for that. I usually have my nebulizer," Solloway said. "I didn’t have anything. And I had to do another relay. I had to figure whether to go fast. It was better to do what I could and save some for the relay. It was better to do that. My relay wasn’t spectacular. I didn’t push that hard in the 100 and we managed to win the relay. I attribute that to the other girls."
The Pirates were swept in the fly as Solloway finished fifth, but she returned three events later to lead off for the winning 200 free relay as WW-P South slowly pulled away again for the big win. Solloway was second in the 50 again for a Pirates 1-2 finish as the Pirates pulled away early on their way to a 106-64 win over Hopewell Valley last Thursday to continue their perfect season.
Jess Solloway is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
"She’s been reliable in those sprints for quite a while," Hamnett said. "Over the years, her role has changed year by year. She’s done a good job."
The Pirates usually utilize Solloway in the 50 free and three relays, but she proved what a team player she was in jumping in the 100 fly for the meet against PHS with almost no warning. It wasn’t her strongest event, but in the end, the move paid off for the Pirates.
"She used to swim it a lot as a freshman," Hamnett said. "I had her in one individual and three relays, but I figured why not take a shot at it. I figured she’d give us a shot at getting a place. It was nice to have her available to do it. She hasn’t done it a lot since she was a sophomore and freshman. It’s a tough situation. She only had 20 seconds to get ready."
That’s a difficult situation for anyone, let alone someone who usually has to prepare for anything over a 50 by taking her asthma medication. Her speed has always been there, but so has the asthma that is one factor in limiting her strength in the endurance events.
"My lungs only last so long," Solloway said. "And my mind tends to wander in the longer events. I don’t even remember any part of those races when I get out. In the 500, I can’t focus on doing it at all."
"We’ve gotten some good sprints out of her," Hamnett said. "She’s really our second 50 person. She’s a drop-dead sprinter."
It’s always been that way for Solloway. She’s been swimming year-round for X-cel for 12 years. This year, she expects to be her last before heading to Lafayette College.
"My asthma has been getting worse every year," Solloway said. "My mom has been wonderful. She’s come to every meet with my nebulizer and everything and I don’t want her to have to follow me around the country."
Solloway also swims in the summer for the Nassau Swim Club, and knowing PHS’ top 50 sprinter, Carson Johnson, from Nassau helped her confidence before going 1-2 with Simon against the Little Tigers.
"We were expecting maybe 1-3 or 2-4," Solloway said. "I knew their top swimmer and I knew she was training hard. I had read about how well she was doing, and I wondered if I could get her. I wasn’t sure. I thought maybe she had improved. I’ve been hearing a lot about her. Then, when I got up there, she’s towering over me. I felt like I really wanted to get this one for the team.
"We had no idea what was going on (score-wise). Mr. Hamnett said that that 50 did so much more than I realized. I felt good about that."
And in helping the Pirates pull away from PHS, Jess Solloway helped the WW-P South senior class to another unbeaten season. And that’s something all the Pirate girls swimmers can feel good about as they prepare to defend their Mercer County Championships title.

