PHS swims into CJ B finals
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Melinda Tang was new to Princeton High School and new to high school swimming, but she didn’t come in completely blind.
”I’m pretty close to some of the Princeton kids on our (club) team,” said the PHS freshman, who also swims for X-Cel. “They were really excited for me to join and we could all swim together.”
Tang knew she was joining a PHS team that had enjoyed a recent run of success, and Tang has certainly helped continue that run. The Little Tigers were unbeaten in the regular season and earned the top seed for the Central Jersey Group B state tournament.
”I transferred to the school,” Tang said. “It was really exciting to be on such a great team and to continue the legacy.”
Tang and the Little Tigers stayed on a roll with back-to-back wins to open sectionals. Tang won the 200 individual medley and the 500 freestyle and shared in two relay wins as PHS stopped fourth-seeded Middletown South, 94-76, Monday in the semifinals.
”I was kind of hoping to pull my own weight on the team,” Tang said. “I didn’t really expect much. I was just hoping to be in the races.”
Jamie Liu won the 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle, Brianna Romaine took the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke and Madeleine Deardorff won the 100 butterfly. The Little Tigers’ win was their second straight over a non-conference foe. They beat Holmdel in their opener. They race second-seeded Lawrence at Neptune today for the title.
”I’m a freshman so I don’t know any of these teams really well,” Tang said. “It was definitely an eye-opening experience.
”I felt we did pretty good. We managed to get a couple wins and we’re still in the tournament.”
So are the Princeton High boys and the Montgomery High School boys and girls teams. The top-seeded PHS boys will also face second-seeded Lawrence today in their CJ B final after swimming by fourth-seeded Hopewell Valley, 109-61, Monday. Peter Kalibat won the 200 and 500 free races, Avery Soong won the 200 IM, Matt Purdy captured the 50 free, Will Stange won the 100 butterfly and Gabriel Bar-Cohen won the 100 breaststroke.
In Central Jersey Group A, the top-seeded Montgomery boys defeated fourth-seeded Rancocas Valley, 103-67, in the semifinals. They swim against Toms River North, an 86-84 winner over second-seeded West Windsor-Plainsboro South, on Saturday at Neptune. Zack Warner won the 200 IM and 100 breast for the Cougars, and Jake Otterbein won the 200 freestyle.
The top-seeded MHS girls topped fourth-seeded Toms River North, 114-56, Monday in their CJ A semifinals. They will face second-seeded Cherry Hill West, a 100½-69½ winner over third-seeded WW-P South, on Saturday at Neptune.
”Starting (today) things get tougher,” said PHS head coach Greg Hand. “There’s not that much left. We’ll have a Lawrence team that always swims hard no matter what. If we get through them, we’ll probably match up with Haddonfield in the middle of next week. It couldn’t get any better than that. We’re sort of equal in power points. We know they’re a fast team and a very good program.”
The Little Tigers have been a consistent sectional winner in recent years, and the addition of freshmen like Tang, Jamie Liu, Maddie Whaley and others ensures that PHS can keep a positive environment going strong.
”I think kids who have some talent and some experience come in thinking that a lot is expected of them,” Hand said. “I hope that they learn that those words are really unfounded and what they find is just a group of kids that love the sport. We’re a good team. We certainly don’t try to apply pressure. Although we’re strong, we’re not a powerhouse. We’re just a good, hardworking team. Hopefully that’s an environment that’s inviting for kids. Hopefully they know all that’s expected is an honest effort.”
Tang has enjoyed her first season of high school swimming. She has gotten to know her new teammates and what to expect of meets. The state meets have introduced another level of competition.
”It’s a lot more exciting,” Tang said. “The high school is more closely bonded. We all stand up and cheer each other on during the races.
”I’ve never done high school before, so I didn’t realize the high school meets would be quite so short. That was a really big surprise. It’s a lot more fun than I imagined.”
The Little Tigers have embraced their new swimmers, and enjoyed the success that they have helped to bring. Tang usually swims the 500 free and 100 fly in most meets, as well as the fly leg for the medley relay and a leg of the 400 free relay.
”Melinda is very talented,” Hand said. “She’s very quick and has great endurance. She seems to love racing. She takes out her races pretty hard, and doesn’t outwardly worry too much. She seems to enjoy sitting with the veterans and hanging out and becoming part of the team.”
The Little Tigers are hoping to keep their season going at the sectional final. Hand sees his team gearing up for a final run after coming through a stretch of tightly packed dual meets followed by a county championship effort and a training schedule disrupted by weather.
”The kids are generally tired, but their attitude toward swimming is great,” Hand said. “Their training is going fine. We have to pay attention to keeping them fresh while they’re still training. I’m happy with the team effort in the first couple rounds given the power points we’re lucky enough to have.”
Tang has been able to help raise those power points, and she is looking to help PHS come out on top of the sectional final and add another championship to the legacy that began long before she arrived.
”It’s really exciting,” Tang said. “But mostly I want to get as high up as we can for the seniors who are leaving this year.”