GUO TIME: Princeton High boys’ swimmer Daniel Guo shows his form in a freestyle race last season. Last Friday, senior Guo placed first in both the 50-yard and 100 freestyle races to help third-seeded PHS defeat seventh-seeded North Hunterdon 101-68 in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North 2, Group B quarterfinals. On Monday, the Tigers lost 96-74 to second-seeded Summit in the sectional semis to end the winter with a 9-1 record. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

For Daniel Guo and his fellow seniors on the Princeton High boys’ swim team, there was a sense of finality last Friday as the Tigers hosted North Hunterdon in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North 2, Group B quarterfinals.

Based on the sectional bracket, third-seeded PHS would be on the road for the rest of the tournament if they defeated seventh-seeded North Hunterdon.

“We were talking right behind the block before our 200 free relay, the last relay that we had together. at home and it was wow, this is our last home meet,” said Guo, who was joined in the event by classmates David Brophy and the Xu twins, David and Jaiden.

“It was definitely a little bittersweet. It had definitely been a long journey but we have had a lot of fun doing it. I couldn’t ask for better teammates.”

The Tigers kept their journey going, posting a 108-61 win over North Hunterdon.

“I think a lot of the mood is around our general consistency, I think our team thrives on being able to perform in the big moments,” said Guo. “We can be thankful for so many different people on this team. We have had a lot of close moments during the season and also during the past four years but we have always been able to get it done in the end. I think that confidence keeps building and it is like a domino effect.”

Guo performed well in the win over the Lions, placing first in both the 50 and 100 free races.

“I didn’t really know how fast the people on the other team were,” said Guo. “It was looking at everyone else race and being able to do what we need to do to have a lead. I really didn’t feel any worries going into the 50 or 100. I was able to swim pretty carefree which is always a good thing.”

Winning the 50 free in the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) championships in late January helped Guo swim with more confidence.

“I looked at some of the races before me, David Xu in the 200 IM, David Brophy had a great 200 free,” said Guo. “Seeing the people I have been with for four years being able to perform and get it done made me want to get my job done.”

The quartet of Guo, Brophy and the Xu twins has done a lot of good work for PHS over the last four years.

“This is a really solid core of the four of us, I think it is more of an acknowledgment that they are there and we can always rely on each other,” said Guo, whose swims club for Whitewaters. “If one of us doesn’t have a good day in a relay, the other people in the four of us will be able to carry their races and at the end of the day we will get the job done.”

Feeding off his classmates, Guo has honed his mental approach to racing. “I have become a lot more mature as a competitor, knowing what I have to do to swim my best, what is good strategy, can I take a rest during this race and conserve energy for the next race,” said Guo.

This winter, Guo has poured his energy into sprint events.

“I really only started doing the 50 and 100 this year,” said Guo, noting that Daniel Baytin was the main sprinter when he came in as a freshman. “I used to swim the 200 free, the 200 IM, the 100 breast, stuff like that. I have really been a flexible swimmer, I have been placed to serve the team.”

PHS head coach Carly Fackler liked the way her team took care of business against North Hunterdon.

“It was nice to have a meet now to get some racing in before Monday,” said Fackler. “I think the whole vibe was happy. I think it was positive. They were excited to get back into things as a team. We swam really well across the board, there were a lot of 1-2-3s and 2-3-4s. We knew coming in that our guys were going to have some pretty good races. We had a good meet today. Today was more getting back into racing, a tune up. We accomplished the job today and that is it, just checking off another box.”

True to form, the squad’s senior core four of Brophy, Guo and the Xu twins led the way in the win. Brophy placed first in the 200 free and second in the 100 butterfly while Jaiden Xu took second in the 200 individual medley and David Xu took second in the 100 backstroke and third in the 200 IM.

“As per usual, it is the same story all of the time with them, they stepped up,” said Fackler, noting that her seniors lost just three meets in their first three seasons with the program. “They are just such all-stars, they

really will do any event. They made me take a picture of the four of them, saying this is our last home meet as seniors. When you hear things like that and that kind of stuff starts to sink in with all of the memories and you are thinking back to freshman year.”

Fackler will have good memories of Guo and the progress he has made over his career.

“Daniel has been someone who over the last four years whose events have really changed and evolved,” said Guo. “He has really excelled and truly developed into one of the top sprinters in the state, not even just Mercer County. We had to figure out what holes we had to fill this year and he fills those holes appropriately for us and makes the best fit.”

The year ended for PHS last Monday as the Tigers fell 96-74 to second-seeded Summit in the sectional semis.

“When you get to this part of the season, you want to have those exciting meets with the ups and the downs,” said Fackler, whose team ended with winter with a 9-1 record. “They are ahead, we are ahead. Obviously you want to be ahead more. Everybody will rise to the occasion. I am excited, I think they are excited for Monday. This is the fun part of the season, this is what you train for.”

Guo, for his part, was confident that the Tigers would give their all to the end of the season.

“We always like to think that we can compete, that is one of the things that I really appreciate about this team,” said Guo. “Whether it is at counties or big meets, at the big moments we can perform. I have no doubt that we will do that, win or lose.”