Von Autenried pushed Pirates back to top of CVC
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
West Windsor-Plainsboro South’s Anthony Bartolone could tell how invested Kurt Von Autenried was in the boys swim team this year.
The sophomore had enjoyed a strong freshman year, and he came back more motivated and prepared to help the Pirates push ahead, even if he wasn’t swimming.
”He was much more of a team player,” said Bartolone, the Pirates head coach. “He would keep track of the meet score in his head before I would do it on paper. He was good about keeping the guys motivated. He knew exactly what we needed every event. He was my No. 1 kid keeping them motivated.”
Von Autenried had taken up high school swimming as a freshman last year on top of his club swimming with Hamilton Aquatics Club. He was able to build on that season this year.
”I had a better time, getting to know the people on the team a lot better,” Von Autenried said. “It was a lot easier to fit in with everybody. It was that bond that boosted us in the pool, that we were supporting each other. It was more comfortable being with the high school teammates and getting to know a lot of them. They’re great people to be around.”
Von Autenried responded to the challenge of helping his team excel by improving his own times. His drops made him more valuable to them in individual and relay events. Von Autenried placed second in 200 free and third in 100 butterfly, and swam the fly leg to open the Mercer County Championships with a win in the 200 medley relay. His regular contributions helped WW-P South go 14-2 overall with their only losses coming in a shorthanded effort against Pennington and to Scotch Plains-Fanwood in the North Jersey, Section 2, Public B state tournament semifinals. They topped Notre Dame and ended Princeton High’s 48-meet regular-season win streak along the way. He finished his season at the Meet of Champions with a personal best in the 100 fly of 52.82 seconds.
”He had huge time drops,” Bartolone said. “I saw a side of Kurt his year, that determination, that motivation, he wanted to do the best he possibly could, no matter who he was swimming, no matter what team he was against. He wanted to better his time.”
Kurt Von Autenried is the Princeton Packet Boys Swimmer of the Year.
”Everyone swam their best and had amazing performances,” Von Autenried said. “It came out to be something that would be our greatest season in a while.”
The breakout season began with wins over Notre Dame and Princeton within a week. The Pirates opened some eyes with their sweep of the powers.
”The meets being early on, we knew we had to get in the water and see what we could do,” Von Autenried said. “The results were absolutely amazing. We had kids swimming best times throughout the meet, getting us points, avoiding sixth place. I couldn’t have been more proud watching from the sidelines and being in the pool. It definitely boosted the morale. It gave us a relaxed, yet prepared feeling. We knew we’re a stronger, more close knit team than we were last year and we needed to keep up our work ethic all the way to the end.”
Von Autenried was motivated all season to continue to set new bests. He continued to strive for a best in the fly, which is his best stroke along with the sprint freestyle. Having last year’s experience helped him know what to expect this season and how he could change.
”One of the biggest differences was the speed,” Von Autenried said. “Coming off of last year, as a freshman it was a successful year for me, and coming in as a sophomore, the expectations increased a bit. The pace increased. Keeping up with the upperclassmen in my school and other schools, I was more aware of all the swimmers I’d be racing and concentrating on what I needed to do in my races, what our relays should shoot for and it really set some good markers to try to hit.”
The Pirates’ medley relay came together for a win at the county meet in 1:53.22 in the meters pool at West Windsor-Plainsboro North. The Pirates peaked with some of their best times at the end of the season. Von Autenried closed his sophomore season on a high note at the MOC.
”The first year is like a learning experience,” Bartolone said. “You learn how the team operates, how meets go, and you learn what you can do, how much you can push yourself. All season he wanted to go a 52. All the way at the end, he got it. In doing it, he had some awesome races. He told me at states, he said, I’m going for 51. He’s already setting goals for next year.”
Von Autenried has enjoyed seeing a rebirth of Pirate pride on the boys side. He did whatever he could to contribute.
”There were a lot of meets where I had a kid last minute sick or for whatever reason, couldn’t come,” Bartolone said. “Kurt was a kid I could take out of his normal events and know he’d get the job done.
”He didn’t do the 100 breast and 100 back. Everything else, he was in and did. And he blew them away. It wasn’t because he couldn’t do the 100 breast or 100 back, I just never put him in it.”
The Pirates went unblemished in Colonial Valley Conference meets because of the way they covered the events together.
”What’s great about high school is it not only exposes a swimmer to more teammates, it focuses a swimmer on the team and not on individuals,” Von Autenried said. “High school swimming focuses on the enjoyment and being around other swimmers and going for decent or best times. It’s a more relaxed environment. It sets a positive tone on the high school swimming sport.”
The Pirates had strong individuals up and down their lineup, and they came together to produce effective relays. Von Autenried was a consistent member of the medley and 200 free relays.
”The relays were definitely something that we worked with,” Von Autenried said. “We were proud of how our medley relays did, especially with counties placing first. And our 2 free and 4 free were strong. We would all split very good times. We’d work toward it. We knew dual meets would ride on it. They got to be very successful.”
Von Autenried credits his positive team environment for his strong finish individually as well. He has been trying to reach his goal, and in the end, the atmosphere helped him come through with a record in the fly.
”It was definitely a good way to finish off my sophomore year on the high school team,” Von Autenried said. “It was definitely unexpected. It was nice to do it in my final high school meet for sophomore year. Dropping it below 53, competing with each dual meet and all the swimmers, it was remarkable what happened. It was quite the journey to get there. There was a lot of support there from the high school team and club team and it was them that helped get me unstuck from that 53 and get down to 52.”
As Autenried gets older, that time is expected to drop. He has started his high school career in promising fashion, and Bartolone anticipates him continuing to develop his speed and strength.
”Fly is his best event,” Bartolone said. “As he grows, and next year, he’s junior, so as he continues to train and grow, he’s going to keep getting better. He’s the type of kid that will continue to train.”
Von Autenried handled well the pressures of higher expectations this year. The Pirates will have high standards after a strong season this year.
”We beat Princeton and Notre Dame back-to-back,” Von Autenried said. “The boys were undefeated in the CVC. They had a fantastic, amazing year. We’re losing a couple seniors, but we have a couple kids coming in next year. They’re excited to continue, if not do better than they did next year. We have some young strong swimmers. We have some kids who were high school only that are going to join a club team. Next year we should be looking good.”
Von Autenried is inspired by the success he saw for the team and for himself in this year. He is hopeful the Pirates can continue to push toward becoming a championship team.
”I think we knew this year that we’d have quite the loss of seniors,” Von Autenried said. “We lose depth and definitely lose a couple of our star guys on our team. The more important thing is not to look at our losses but what we still have and what we’re getting. We think we’re getting some good talent for next year. We’re hoping we get as far or farther than this year. We’ll miss the seniors that have been on the high school team for years and constantly working on their times. They will be missed.”
Von Autenried is among the vital parts that will return to the team next year. He’s ready to help the team any way possible.
”I see him being a great leader for the team,” Bartolone said, “whether that means being captain in the next year or two or just being someone fired up on the pool deck that keeps the kids up, he’s a great team leader.”