Rojas, North still climbing to top

Knight boys swim to 3-0 start

By: Justin Feil
   Mat Rojas has seen a steady climb in his own swimming and that of the West Windsor-Plainsboro North boys’ team.
   Now a senior, he is a bit of a rarity on a team that has a vastly different make-up than it did three years ago when he began.
   "I’m the only captain that has never swum club," Rojas said. "Swimming was new to me freshman year.
   "I moved from New York. In New York, athleticism isn’t all that pushed. I’ve always enjoyed swimming. When I moved here, I figured, I like swimming so much, I’ll try out for the team. I made it. I started in Lane 1. From there, I moved up."
   Rojas has continued to improve just as he’s been surrounded every year by more and more Knights swimmers with club experience. Those year-round backgrounds have helped WW-P North also continue to develop.
   "I remember my freshman year," Rojas said. "There were only three freshmen that swam club. The rest of us didn’t. As the years progressed, we’ve seen more club swimmers and faster swimmers. As a whole, the whole team has improved."
   Rojas has managed to continue to improve through a variety of offseason training. It’s kept him coming back each season a little stronger and faster.
   "Usually over the summer, I try to swim in my community pool or I go running," he said. "That’s how I keep in shape. It’s not the same intensity as during swim season. It has worked out. I have improved through the years."
   Rojas picked up a key third-place as the Knights needed every point they earned in an 86-84 win over Nottingham on Thursday. Nick Covey won the 200 individual medley and 100 back while Jason Raziano won the 50 and 100 freestyles. The victory kept the Knights unbeaten at 3-0 heading into Thursday’s meet against Hopewell Valley.
   "Hopewell is going to be a big meet," Rojas said. "Hopewell is going to be a hard team to beat. They’ve gotten better as we’ve gotten better. It’s going to be our hardest meet yet, probably harder than Nottingham.
   "The two-point meet that we won doesn’t make us as confident. We won, but we won by a little bit. We know we have to push harder. At the Knights Relays, we saw their relays. We kind of saw what our competition is. They’ve gotten better. It’s going to be one of the biggest meets of the season."
   The Knights figure to have an extra push after seeing how close they came to losing their unbeaten year. WW-P North came into the season with lofty goals, bigger than they’ve had in years past. It’s Rojas’ main focus.
   "For me, it’s more about how is the team getting better," he said. "Any help we’re getting whether from young guys or seniors, it’s for benefit of team.
   "We’ve always wanted to beat certain teams. Maybe this time our goals are more attainable. Maybe we can actually beat them."
   There is a different mindset around the Knights with more and more year-round swimmers on the team. WW-P North is looking to take another step forward for the program.
   "We improve every year," Rojas said. "This year is the biggest improvement. Everyone is pushing themselves and trying their hardest to do the best they can do."
   Rojas may not be the fastest of the Knights five senior captains, but his all-out effort serves as an example to the entire team. He is always there to support the team, which has helped bring the team together.
   "I couldn’t ask for a better team," Rojas said. "Everyone is different in our group. We have all different nationalities and race. Everyone gets along and cheers for each other. There’s no animosity. That’s what makes us the best team we can be and pushes us to do the best we can do.
   "I think our team has always been close. I do think this year especially, I feel like everyone is together. But we’ve always been a close team."
   Rojas is expected to contribute to the team as one of the butterfly swimmers as well as a 500 freestyler. He also can swim in the B relays.
   "There are individual goals, like I want to drop time," he said. "As a whole, I want the team to win. When the team wins, you feel like you won too. As a captain, I feel that."
   He swam in the fly relay as well as two medley relays for WW-P North as they hosted the Knight Relays on Saturday. The meet offered a chance to tune up for the remainder of the Colonial Valley Conference season.
   "I think it’s fun compared to other meets," Rojas said. "In some level, it’s good to see the new swimmers and how they do. It’s very much like a bonding experience as a whole. We’re all working together since it’s all relays."
   Rojas is trying to keep the Knights on task to work toward their finest season yet. There are a number of wins that could give them that title.
   "My biggest goal, more than ever, I want to beat South," Rojas said. "They’ve always been our rival. We’ve never been up to their level. This year might be the year. It would be the best thing to leave school having won that meet. It would make my year great. You really, really want to win it."
   It would be the perfect way for Rojas to exit. He has seen the Knights improve every year and follow the same steady curve that he has. Now, as a senior, he looks for a big ending before embarking on a new experience.
   "I definitely want to continue swimming," he said. "I’m not sure if it’ll be at the competitive level, maybe intramural. I love swimming and I love the meets and all that drive that comes from them."
   It’s all the more special that Mat Rojas’ final scholastic meets could be the best ever for the growing WW-P North boys’ team.