DAN THE MAN: Princeton High boys’ swimmer Daniel Baytin helped PHS go 14-1 as it won the Mercer County Championships, won the Central Jersey Group B sectional, and made the state Group B final along the way. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Coming into this winter, Daniel Baytin was determined to make a bigger impact for the Princeton High boys’ swimming team in and out of the water.

“I have definitely improved not only just in the pool but with my team,” said junior star Baytin. “These people are looking up to me. I am one of the old guys now, I have to set an example. I have been working my hardest for them.”

Baytin did a lot of good work this winter. After helping PHS post an undefeated regular reason with an 11-0 mark, Baytin starred as the Tigers won the team title at the Mercer County Championships. He placed first in both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle races at the meet as PHS rolled to the title, winning 265-225 over runner-up and host West Windsor-Plainsboro North.

A week later, Baytin had another big day as PHS defeated WW/P-North 105-65 in the Central Jersey Group B sectional final.

He set the tone with a blazing breaststroke leg as PHS opened the meet by winning the 200-yard medley relay.

“I try my best every race but it became very apparent just how much ground we gained when I finished,” said Baytin. “During the race you really can’t tell how much you have won.”

Baytin then took first in the 50 free and second in the 100 free, and then ended the meet by swimming the anchor leg as the Tigers won the 400 free relay.

“Both teams did an amazing job today,” said Baytin. “I am thankful that I was able to compete at this level.”

PHS head coach Carly Misiewicz credited Baytin with competing as high level in the win over the Northern Knights.

“Dan was great on both relays and the 50 free; I think he tried a different strategy on the 100 but at the end of the day, Dan is going to do his job,” said Misiewicz. “He truly is a team player and whatever the team needs, he says, ‘put me in. I will do this, I will do that.’”

Heading into the state semis, Baytin was primed to make another great effort.

“I am a bit nervous because everybody next week is going to be on the same level or higher level than we are,” said Baytin. “We have to keep on working as hard as we can. It will be really interesting to see what happens next week.”

PHS raised its level, edging Tenafly 87-83 in the state Group B semis to make the state final for the first time since 2014. The Tigers fell  97-73 to Chatham in the state final, but Baytin stood out. He posted the only the wins for the Tigers in the final, prevailing in the 50 free and 100 breaststroke and helping PHS win the 200 free relay.

“Dan was phenomenal, his swims in the 50 free and 100 breast were great,” said Misiewicz after the meet which left the Tigers with a final record of 14-1. “He is a true competitor. He was in the 200 free relay and then to come back to win the breaststroke. You can tell he is hurting.”

For coming up with one phenomenal swim after another in helping PHS produce a historic campaign, Baytin is the choice as the Town Topics top male performer of the winter season.

ERIN GO BRAGH: Hun School girls’ basketball player Erin Maguire drives past two defenders in a game this season. Post-graduate guard Maguire, a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, starred as Hun reached the finals of both Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) tournament and state Prep A tourney. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Top Female Performer

When Erin Maguire came from Belfast, Northern Ireland, last fall and joined the Hun School girls’ basketball team, she was following in a family tradition.

In recent years, her two older sisters, Anna and then Enya, traveled to the U.S. to star for the Hun School girls’ basketball program. They both established themselves as standout point guards for the Raiders and are now playing on the college level for Houston Baptist.

The youngest Maguire was primed for her own Hun experience.

“I was so excited, they both told me that it was one of the best years of their life easily,” said post-graduate Maguire who has played for Ireland’s U-20 team. “I love Hun and I love America. It is the land of opportunity as people say.”

Maguire didn’t take long to seize opportunity, scoring 29 points in a 47-41 opening day win over George School (Pa.).

After Hun got off to a rocky 3-5 start, the Raiders got into a groove in the new year, going 7-1 in its first eight games in 2022.

“I think it is our attitude and maturity, coming into this semester we were all ready to go,” said Maguire, in assessing the surge. “We needed that break over Christmas, we were in such a slump beforehand. Our passes have gotten better, we are working way harder. It is all mental at the end of the day. Getting used to each other was a huge thing too.”

Hun head coach Bill Holup credited Maguire with bringing a mature attitude and game to the squad.

“Erin is almost like a third coach on the team, she is an experienced player,” said Holup. “She has competed at a high level with the Irish national team. The girls look up to her. It is great to have her leadership and ball handling and shooting ability out there. If you are open, she will find you.”

In postseason play, Maguire kept competing at a high level, helping Hun reach the final of both the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) tournament and the state Prep A tourney as it finished with a 15-11 record.

Maguire ended up leading the Raiders in points (509), assists (94), and steals (120) and was second in rebounds (141).

While Maguire was clearly Hun’s go-to player, she got the most satisfaction from helping her teammates succeed.

“I definitely like to lead by how I play and by my personality,” said Maguire, who is looking to follow in the footsteps of her sisters and play college ball in the U.S.

“I like to be supportive and show my teammates I have confidence in them. I want them to believe that I believe in them. At the start, I think they were a bit worried, let Erin do it all. That’s not what I want. My goal from the beginning has been trying to get everyone into the momentum of playing a team game, focusing on the team outcome. That is why we have been doing so much better.”

Maguire’s leadership and production in sparking Hun to a memorable season makes her the choice as the top female performer.

KNOCKING ON THE DOOR: Princeton Day School girls’ hockey player Eibhleann Knox, right, chases down the puck in game this season. Freshman forward Knox emerged as a key offensive threat for PDS this winter as it won the state Prep title and reached the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) state girls’ final. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Top Newcomers

Blase Mele made an immediate impact in making his debut for the Princeton High wrestling team this winter, emerging as a standout at 126 pounds in his freshman campaign.

But getting off to an undefeated start, Mele ran into an obstacle in as he suffered a mid-season knee injury that required surgery.

“I gave myself 10 days and then I was back on the mat,” said Mele. “Sure it hurt, but the prospect of missing a season after all the things I’ve been through and all the adversity that I’ve been through, and all the things that I’ve worked for in my career, it wasn’t an option and I just had to push through.”

With just days to get ready for the District 17 tournament, Mele showed his grit and talent by taking second at the competition. The success in the districts gave Mele confidence heading into the Region 5 competition. Needing a top-four finish, he advanced far enough to wrestle in the third-place match, which he won, 4-3, over Giovanni Alejandro of St. Joseph’s Metuchen after already guaranteeing himself a trip to the state championships. In so doing, he became the first freshman in program history to make states.

Mele closed his season with a trip to Atlantic City to take on the ultimate competition in New Jersey wrestling. Battling hard in Boardwalk Hall, he lost in the opening round, 5-2, to Joe Giordano of St. John Vianney. He was eliminated by Giovanni Alejandro of St. Joseph’s Metuchen with a 3-2 loss in the consolation wrestleback first round.

“I think it’s tremendous,” said PHS head coach Jess Monzo, reflecting on Mele’s run to Atlantic City. “From 2017, we’ve had at least one guy down there every year, so the fact that Princeton is continuously represented down there only goes to show in smaller areas, it doesn’t always have to be the big-time school, we’re generating a lot of popularity now in the school. We’re hoping to feed off it.”

In Monzo’s view, Mele has just scratched the surface of his potential.

“It’s good for the future, knowing that he’s already been there,” said Monzo. “He got a taste of it, he saw the bright lights. It didn’t go our way. Speaking with Blase, it wasn’t the result that he wanted, he knew he could have done more. He wanted more, and it left a taste in his mouth of some unfinished business.”

Mele, for his part, is determined to build on his success this winter.

“That’s a cool feeling; people tell me making it to states is such a great accomplishment,” said Mele, who finished the season with a 17-4 record. “It really is and I have a lot to be thankful for. It really puts in perspective all the hard work I’ve done and all the time that my parents have invested in me, all the time coaches have invested in me. I think I turned some heads this year, and I’m proud of that. At the same time, I just have to keep working and doing my thing. That’s where the results come from.”

For turning heads with a sensational debut season, Mele gets the nod as the top male newcomer this winter.

It took a little while for Eibhleann Knox to develop a comfort level as she joined the Princeton Day School girls’ hockey program this winter.

“It was stressful in the beginning of the year,” said PDS freshman forward Knox. “I knew no one being new; I had to get to know everyone and the coaches.”

Emerging as a key offensive performer for the Panthers, Knox fit in nicely. Her scoring prowess helped PDS win its first state Prep title since 2002 and make the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) state girls’ final in its debut in the competition.

PDS head coach John Ritchie appreciated what Knox brought to the program.

“She is a very talented freshman, she has a very bright future ahead of her,” said Ritchie. “She has the ability to make those plays every single game. One of her best assets is that she is a great playmaker, she has got good vision. She has done a really nice job this year, we are really impressed with her.”

Knox ended up getting 14 goals on the season, second most on the team behind the 18 scored by sophomore Logan Harrison, and added 11 assists for 25 points.

She scored two of the most dramatic goals of the year for the Panthers, getting the tying goal and the winning tally as PDS rallied to beat Summit 4-3 in overtime in the state semis.

For emerging as key scoring threat and clutch performer in her first high school campaign, Knox is the choice as the top female newcomer.

Top Coaches

Coming into the 2021-22 season, Carly Misiewicz had the sense that her Princeton High boys’ swimming team could be a force.

After going 12-0 the previous campaign with just 13 swimmers, the Tigers got an infusion of depth this winter.

“We have a lot of talent in the pool with the boys,” said Misiewicz. “We have upcoming talent too with freshmen and sophomores.”

The boys’ lineup featured seniors Alex Shaw and Nicholas Oskiper along with juniors Julian Velazquez and Daniel Baytin, sophomores Zach Guan, Henry Xu, and Alvin Tien, and a quartet of freshmen in David Brophy, Daniel Guo, David Xu, and Jaiden Xu.

The PHS boys overcame a big challenge as they topped West Windsor/Plainsboro-North 94-76 in mid-December.

“That was a good test, it was our first legitimate test this season so it was nice to come out on top and to have some really fast times,” said Misiewicz of the win over the Northern Knights. “There are a lot of things to be excited about for the season.”

Building on that triumph, the Tigers posted an 11-0 regular season record and won the Mercer County Swimming Championships for the first time since 2014. The PHS boys piled up 265 points to top runner-up WW/P-North by 40 points.

The squad’s increased depth made the difference in the county win.

“That is the big thing, it really was a true team effort, from start to finish from the medley relay all the way to the 400 free relay,” said Misiewicz, who also coached the PHS girls’ team to a country crown. “The best way to describe it is like a true team effort. It was a true team win today.”

Competing in the state Group B tournament, PHS produced some more great efforts. The Tigers topped Northern Burlington 129-41 in the sectional semis and then defeated nemesis WW/P-North 105-65 in the sectional final.

Moving on to the state Group B semis, PHS upset Tenafly 87-83 to earn a clash against powerhouse Chatham in the final. While the Tigers came up short against the Cougars, falling 97-73, Misiewicz had no qualms about the effort she got from her swimmers.

“At the end of the day, my message was leave it all in the pool and they all did,” said Misiewicz, whose team posted a final record of 14-1. “When you see them crawling out of the pool and laying behind the blocks, you know that they truly gave everything. The energy that they had, the fact that they are a team and that they come together and really support each other, I love coaching them.”

The role of Misiewicz in getting her athletes to give their all in a championship campaign make her the top coach of a male team this winter.

John Ritchie was cautiously optimistic as he assessed his Princeton Day School girls’ hockey team coming into this winter.

“Our numbers are really strong this year, there continues to be a positive vibe around the team to join the program,” said PDS head coach Ritchie. “We are definitely a younger team but they definitely all have high expectations for themselves.”

The Panthers fell short of those expectations in the early going as they got off to a 4-4 start. But after edging Trinity Hall 3-2 in late January, PDS caught fire.

Competing in the state Prep tournament, the fifth-seeded Panthers topped fourth-seeded Pingry 5-4 in the quarterfinals to earn a clash with perennial Prep champion and top-seeded Morristown-Beard in the semis. Despite having lost 5-1 to the Crimson weeks earlier in a regular season contest, PDS was undeterred, showing its grit in pulling off a 3-2 upset.

In the Prep final, the Panthers avenged another regular season defeat as they rolled to a 5-0 win over third-seeded Oak Knoll. It marked the first Prep title for the program since 2002.

“It is cool, getting the messages from a lot of people that have been in the program,” said Ritchie, reflecting on the title. “We had a couple of former players and parents who made the drive up that were really happy for us.”

Entering the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) girls’ state tournament for the first time. PDS produced another deep tourney run. The second-seeded Panthers defeated Kent Place 6-0 in the quarterfinals. In the semis, PDS faced third-seeded Summit, who had edged the Panthers 2-1 in a regular season meeting. Turning the tables on the Hilltoppers, PDS rallied from a 3-2 deficit to pull out a dramatic 4-3 overtime victory and earn a trip to the Prudential Center in Newark for the title game.

While the season ended on a down note for the Panthers as they fell 7-0 to nemesis Mo-Beard in the state final, that setback couldn’t dim what the squad accomplished this winter.

“Obviously it is disappointing but what I said to them is that in a week we will be able to reflect back and say wow that was a pretty special year for PDS girls’ hockey,” said Ritchie, whose team ended the winter at 14-6. “Overall, we have a lot to be proud of and a lot to really look back on and be happy about.”

For providing a steady hand in guiding PDS to a special winter, Ritchie is the choice as the top coach of a female team.