Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week

Shapiro saves best for biggest meets

By: Bob Nuse
   It didn’t take long for Greg Hand to find out that the bigger the meet, the more he could expect from Jordan Shapiro.
   "She’s a big-meet competitor," the Princeton High girls’ swim coach said. "For example, in our meet against Ocean in the 4×100 relay, when we needed first and third in order to win the meet, she had a 55.05 split, which was her best of the year.
   "On Sunday against Haddonfield, she broke the school record in the 50 free (25.05). At the Mercer County meet, against a really strong field, she pulled out the win with a really solid race in the backstroke."
   Shapiro, a junior, was swimming for the Little Tigers for the first time after having to sit out the first 30 days of the season when she transferred from Hamilton High West. Once she got into the pool, she made an already talented Princeton team even better.
   "I think sitting out and watching how the team ran and what the other kids were like turned out to be good for me," Shapiro said. "I got to see what it was like to be a part of it and that helped. This team is different from my team at Hamilton. We’re really like a family here and everyone is so supportive of each other."
   In the biggest week of the season for the Little Tigers, Shapiro had some of her best races of the season. Last Monday, she won the 100 back and was second in the 50 free as Princeton topped Ocean, 87-83, to win the Central Jersey B Division championship. In that meet, she was also a key to PHS winning the final relay to earn the victory.
   She came back three days later to finish second in both of those events as the Little Tigers topped Demarest in the state semifinals. Then on Sunday, she earned both of Princeton’s individual first places in a 97-73 loss to Haddonfield in the state final.
   Jordan Shapiro is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
   "She said right from the start that she likes to compete in situations with pressure that help her do her best," Hand said of Shapiro. "Even when she could not compete for us those first 30 days, she continued to train with her Hamilton Aquatics team and meet the requirements with us."
   After spending two years at Hamilton, Shapiro’s move to PHS helped turn an already good team into a championship team. The Little Tigers were able to win a fourth straight CJ B title, while reaching the state final for the third time in four years.
   Shapiro was happy to be a part of the continued success.
   "High school and club are really different," said Shapiro, who will swim the 50 free and 100 back at the state individual meet this weekend, her first appearance there as a high school swimmer. "In high school it’s always the team before yourself and everyone depends on each other. Club meets are basically about times and seeing how fast you can swim. High school is all about the team. I like being on both teams.
   "The bigger the meet the more the adrenaline gets me going. If it’s a big meet, I feel like I get pushed more by other people and I just want to go, go, go."
   The meet against Ocean was the biggest of the season for the Little Tigers. After leading most of the meet, Princeton fell behind heading into the final 400 free relay, where it needed to get at least a first and a third place to win the meet.
   "We knew that 85-85 wasn’t going to do it," Hand said. "We needed 86 or 87 points and that meant that every single swimmer in the meet meant a lot, from the kids who swam four events to the kids who swam one leg of a relay. Jordan was one, and there were a lot of others as well, who really stepped up. She swam with a lot of confidence and really helped to pick everyone else up and keep the attitude up.
   "Even during the 400 (relay), when we were fighting hard and behind, she swam her leg and then got right out of the pool and was cheering again. Every swimmer in each of those relays played a part. She just had the leg where the change was most apparent."
   Early in the race, Princeton was second and fourth, but both relays rallied to win, which gave the Little Tigers the sectional title.
   "In the 100 back, we went 1-2," Shapiro said. "And then in the 100 breast, they went 1-2. So we were basically tied. We knew we had to go at least 1-3 to win, because otherwise it would have been tied and they probably had the advantage on power points. People were saying we needed to get first and third, but even if we didn’t it was OK because we had such a great meet.
   "We knew Ocean would be tough and we knew Haddonfield would be tough. We’re not bummed that we lost, we were just upset because the season was over. I think we all expected to get to the last meet."
   While Princeton did lose in the state final, it once again proved to be one of the top programs in the state. And despite the loss of some talented senior swimmers, the team hopes to keep the tradition going next year.
   "Hopefully we’ll have some freshmen come in and help us out again next year to fill the spots," said Shapiro, who will swim in the New Jersey State ‘Y’ meet and the New Jersey Junior Olympic meet before heading to Florida for the ‘Y’ Nationals over the next few weeks.
   This year, Princeton was happy to have Shapiro step in and become one of those swimmers who helped fill some spots.