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WEST WINDSOR: Improving Cino key part of North swimming

Hard work helps sophomore develop into distance ace

By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
   The West Windsor-Plainsboro North boys swim team should feel lucky.
   It is getting Greg Cino just as he is showing his most promise. The Knights sophomore has been a club swimmer for years, and his work with the Princeton Tiger Aquatics is benefiting his high school team.
   ”I’ve been swimming club for a long time,” Cino said. “I really started taking training seriously the last two years, and that’s when I really started to improve.
   ”I got a new club coach, and she really talked about all these goals she thought I could do. Before I had her, I never thought I could achieve something like that. Now, I’m pretty close to those goals. I’m really motivated to work hard.”
   Cino was a big contributor as a freshman last year, and is one of the big point winners that will be looked to all season by the Knights. He placed sixth in the 400 free at the Mercer County Championships a year ago, and is shooting for higher this year.
   ”I was happy with my swims in prelims,” he said. “I knew I could have gone faster in finals. I’m looking forward to counties. I definitely got a lot better.
   ”My only real goals for this season,” he added, “are to place better at counties and hopefully for our team to win more meets.”
   Cino has helped the Knights to a 4-1 start to the season, with a big meet vs. Notre Dame on Thursday after they host Trenton in a co-ed meet today in their return from the winter break.
   ”It’s been good,” Cino said. “We had a lot of tough practices. Hopefully we’ll get better. We’re really taking is seriously trying to get ready for Notre Dame on Thursday.
   ”I think it’s going to be a close meet. I think we have a chance. They swam South and it was close. After all the training we did over the break, hopefully we’ll get better. More guys will swim their races and hopefully we’ll win.”
   For Cino, his races have always been the ones of the long variety, and he doesn’t see that changing any time soon for the Knights.
   ”It’s pretty much always the distance freestyle events for me,” he said. “I can do sprint freestyles, but that would leave a gap. If it’s what we have to do to win meets, it’s fine. The distance has always been my best.”
   Cino, whose older sister Michelle swam for the Knight girls and is now a junior dabbling in triathlon at Georgetown University, started to gravitate toward the distance freestyle events as a 10-year-old. Five years later, it’s his focus, even if it’s not necessarily the most fun.
   ”I kind of got stuck with it because it’s my strong point in swimming,” Cino said. “Training for it is hard because you have to swim more than everyone else. It’s worth it.”
   Cino gives the Knights a strong distance competitor, regardless of who they are facing. WW-P North has handled Hamilton, Hopewell Valley and Robbinsville before their lone loss. They topped Ewing going into the break.
   ”I think we’re a good solid team,” Cino said. “We always have a lot of depth, like we did last year. I feel like some of our guys that weren’t that good last year got a lot better and are coming through this year.
   ”I actually think our ‘A’ swimmers are faster this year. We always have depth. I feel like we don’t have quite as much depth as last year, but our A swimmers are better.”
   Cino knows more of what to expect from a high school swim season after being a steady contributor as a freshman last season. He enjoys being a part of the Knight team, particularly for relays.
   ”In the club meets before high school, I had swum one relay in my life when I was 10,” Cino said. “It’s really fun. I think the relays are the most fun thing about the high school meets.”
   He’s hoping to be a more consistent swimmer meet by meet for the Knights. He has the confidence that he can do so after a strong offseason.
   ”I’ve been swimming year-round for my club team,” he said. “I have guys in my club that push me. That helped me. I feel like I just got a lot better.”
   Cino’s improvement and experience will benefit the Knights as they look to build their program. Getting him just as he’s hitting his stride should help plenty.
   ”I like high school because it’s nice to feel like you’re swimming a team sport,” Cino said. “It’s nice to feel like the pressure’s not entirely on you anymore.
   ”In the really close meets, I feel like there’s pressure, or when I know it’s going to be a close race because I know a guy from club swimming.”
   The competition only helps as Greg Cino goes faster and faster for the WW-P North boys swim team.