PHS follows seniors to sectional crown
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
NEPTUNE — As a senior, John Bond has had his share of moments when he has reflected on just how much the Princeton High boys swim team has accomplished in his four years with the program.
”Because I am a senior, I have looked back on my high school swimming career a couple times and I am always amazed by the ways that we have been able to do so well, consistently,” said Bond, one of seven seniors overall and five that have been with the Princeton program for four years. “At most, me and the other seniors that have been here the whole time will have lost four times in four years. I think that is pretty amazing.”
The Little Tigers secured their fifth straight Central Jersey B Division title on Thursday with a 118-52 win over Lawrence at the Neptune Aquatic Center. The win puts Princeton one step closer to a possible repeat as state champions. The Little Tigers will meet Summit in the state semifinals today at 5 p.m. at West Windsor-Plainsboro South. The winner will face the Demarest-Moorestown winner in the state final on Saturday at The College of New Jersey.
Bond and his fellow seniors have now won a sectional title in each of their seasons with the team. And winning never gets old, even for a group that has gone 64-3 with three Mercer County, four sectional and one state title in their careers.
”It is always exciting,” said Bond, who was second in both the 200 and 500 freestyles in the win over Lawrence. “I can’t speak for the whole team, but I knew coming into this season it was a whole different team than last year. We had lost a lot of great guys so I didn’t know how far we would go. I was just looking at it with the mentality of let’s go in and see how far we can go. I never really expected to make it this far so I am really happy with how we have done.”
After losing perhaps the best senior class in school history to graduation, the Little Tigers came into this season with some question marks. But it didn’t take long for them to realize there was still plenty of talent in the pool.
”There was a realization that we might be able to go a lot farther,” said Bond, who also swims for the X-Cel club program. “That was really exciting. We’re trying to take it one day at a time as much as possible. But there is definitely the knowledge in the back of our heads that we have these meets in the future.
”I’m really happy we have been able to get this far my senior year.”
Bond is part of a senior group that also includes Peter Cohen, John Robles, Patrick Schultz and Steven Schultz as four-year members, as well as Daniel Andronov and Alden Reyes who joined the team last year.
The senior class may not be the record-setting group that preceded them, but they have left their mark on the Princeton program.
”These guys are heroes, I think,” Princeton coach Greg Hand said. “John, for example, has been a lesser known hero but a real hero since the beginning. He is one of the most dedicated athletes. He is completely unselfish. He has terrific team spirit. And he is a fierce competitor. It doesn’t matter to me what times he is swimming. He’s got the whole package as far as what you want to see on a team. To have somebody with that character with us for four years is a real boost. It’s one of the biggest sources of continuity from last year to this year.”
Bond is just happy to do his part on a team that still has plenty of stars. In the win over Lawrence, Peter Kalibat won the 200 and 500 frees, Colburn Yu won the 200 IM and 100 breast, and Will Stange won the 100 fly and 100 back.
”I have definitely improved a lot since I started,” Bond said. “I switched club teams after my sophomore year and that helped me drop a lot of time. I was training a little bit differently.
”This season has been a lot of fun. We have a lot of guys who are a lot of fun to swim with. It is great competing against them as well as the other team. We have a lot of guys who can do really well in the water.”
Princeton has won 33 straight since losing to Scotch Plains-Fanwood in the 2011 state final. And in five years plenty of swimmers have contributed to the Little Tigers becoming a top program in the state.
”I think of the program in terms of the kids who are in it at the moment,” Hand said. “What it means to the program is almost entirely expressed in what it means to the kids who accomplished it. It is program in the sense that we have kids that have been here four years and kids that are just starting. To be able to have that recreated again and again is a special thing.”