Berloco making an impact as a freshman
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Abbey Berloco draws an audience for her races.
It wasn’t long into the Princeton High School freshman’s career that she showed she could be something special. In her first individual race for the Little Tiger girls swim team, she broke the school record in the 50 freestyle.
”Everyone knows to what when Abbey gets up on the block,” said PHS head coach Carly Misiewicz. “It’s, what’s Abbey going to do now? It’s so exciting to watch.”
Berloco has been wowing her new team all season with her swims, whether there are in individual events or relay splits. Berloco hits the water with a freshman’s enthusiasm, and regardless of the strength of an opponent, she’s trying to swim as fast as possible. There’s no easing up.
”I feel like every time I swim is maybe an opportunity to go a best time,” Berloco said. “I always try my best. I know a lot of swimmers have different strategies. Mine has been to swim my hardest every time I get in the water and make the most of my opportunities.”
It has been working all season in her first year of high school swimming, and it has helped make the PHS girls team that much stronger. Berloco was as fast as ever when the Little Tigers set out to defend their Mercer County Championship on Saturday.
Berloco anchored the winning 200-meter medley relay that also included Brianna Romaine, Madeleine Deardorff and Melinda Tang to open the meet. After two events, Berloco was back in the water and made quite a splash with a 26.37 meet record to win the 50-meter freestyle. Following the break and 100 butterfly, Berloco set another meet record, 57.20, to win the 100 free. The old record of 57.62 was set only two days earlier by her in the preliminaries.
Berloco capped her meet by leading off the 400 free relay. She gave the Little Tigers team that also had Deardorff, Tang and Romaine a huge lead on its way to another meet record, 3:58.61, snapping the 4:00.48 mark they had set in the preliminaries Thursday. With three records and four wins, Berloco was named the meet’s Most Valuable Swimmer after helping PHS win its third straight county crown.
Abbey Berloco is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
”She’s unbelievable,” Misiewicz said. “It’s amazing how much time she drops consistently. After the 50 free, she missed by .06 on Thursday, and she said, I really wanted this time. She knows what she wants and goes after it. She’s not going to stop until she takes over. In the 50 free, you think it’s so close and it’s going to be neck and neck. She won by a second.
”Her times converted to 23.65 and 51.44, lifetime bests. It’s the second time she broke the 100 free for the school, and at least the fourth for the 50 free. She broke it the very first meet.”
The records are part of her motivation, but Berloco came into the season just hoping to add something to the PHS swim program.
”I had heard a lot of great things about Princeton swim team,” Berloco said. “It’s such a strong team, both boys and girls. I was really just hoping I’d be able to make a positive contribution to the team.”They’re a really supportive team. They do a lot together. Everyone is so nice.”
Berloco has warmed up over the season and stepped into an important role for the Little Tigers. She brings an enthusiasm that has made her an easy fit for the team.
”She’s so passionate about the sport,” Misiewicz said. “In the beginning, she was quiet. Like most freshmen, you’re trying to find your place. She’s a great kid. She’s so happy. She’s really become a crucial part of the team. I’m so excited that she’s only a freshman.”
Berloco is adjusting to all the nuances of high school swimming. She certainly enjoyed her first county meet.
”I’ve heard counties was a really fun meet,” Berloco said. “I wanted to try my best and contribute to my team in a very positive way. I was very happy how I’ve performed.”
In the relays, she helped the Little Tigers win significant points. The medley relay was close as the third legs came into the wall for the exchange. It was then that the difference that Berloco makes was so apparent.
Going into the last leg of the medley, it was pretty even with us, Pennington and Hopewell,” Misiewicz said. “I said, ‘We got this; Abbey is up.’ We ended up winning by four seconds.”
The final relay was much the same. The Little Tigers elected to let Berloco lead off, not anchor their 400 free relay.
”Our thinking was we’re going to blow everyone out from the beginning and keep extending our lead from then on,” Misiewicz said.
The Little Tigers have a lot of confidence every time she steps up to the block for her swims. She was excited to see what she could do with some tough competition in the county meet.
”Going into the meet, both the records were fast,” Berloco said. “Katie O’Rourke set the 50 record. I wasn’t looking into the records, I was just trying my best. It was just a bonus to be able to get those.”
The 50 free didn’t go quite as she had planned. It wasn’t the perfect race, but she finished up strong to earn the record.
”I had known from prelims I was a little off the record,” Berloco said. “I knew everything mattered in my race. I missed the wall. My turn wasn’t what I hoped it to be. I knew I had to swim my hardest. I had one of my best friends in the lane next to me, Maria (Nitti) from Robbinsville, and she helped push me.”
Berloco doesn’t have as many opportunities to swim short course with her club, Hamilton Aquatics Club, and she has taken advantage of those chances this winter. It was much of the same in the 100 free.
”I felt pretty good,” she said. “Again, I was next to a really good friend, Maddie Horner. She really pushed me to do my best. We train together. There’s a lot of healthy competition. We know how each other swim and we’re supportive of each other, no matter what.”
The county environment helped. Berloco had her high school teammates there to support her as well as her club teammates from other schools. She was happy to come through for PHS.
”High school swimming is all about representing your team,” she said. “Club swimming is a lot more individualized. For high school, there’s so much more of team aspect there. To get the win for your team is so much more important for high school meets.”
Berloco has focused on the sprint events for PHS, but she can do more than that. The Little Tigers have given her chances here and there to show her all-around abilities.
”She swam 200 free once,” Misiewicz said. “I threw her in 100 fly, in 100 breast. She did awesome. She did 1:08 or 1:09 in breaststroke, but she’s gone faster with her club team. She’s a versatile swimmer. If you put her in an event, she says OK. She’s going to get in to win, no matter what she’s swimming.”
About the only thing that she hasn’t swum this season for PHS is the 100 backstroke, a bit of a twist since it was backstroke that was her best event when she was just getting into competitive swimming.
Berloco has found her strengths elsewhere, and this year she has brought them to boost a PHS girls swim team that now heads into the North Jersey, Group 2 B Division state tournament with the top seed.
”I know the boys and girls are teams are strong and doing well,” Berloco said. “I just hope we do as good as we’ve been doing.”