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PHS Boys' Swimmers Earn Three-Peat Edging WW/P-S for 3rd County Crown
By Bill Alden
Clinging to a 199-197 lead in the Mercer County Swimming Championships last Saturday, the 400-meter freestyle relay quartet for Princeton High boys' swimming team quietly huddled together on the deck at the Lawrence High pool before the meet's last race.
With the Little Tigers seeking their third straight county crown and second place WW/P-S lurking in the next lane, the PHS group of Anson Hook, Pete Hand, Billy Boyce, and Jesse Applegate were determined to make sure they were on the same page.
Breaking from their huddle, the PHS swimmers hit the water and came out with a thrilling victory as Applegate pulled away on the anchor leg to break open a close race and give the Little Tigers that coveted third straight title.
Hand acknowledged that the quartet was ready to do whatever it took to achieve the three-peat. "We just knew that we wanted to beat South," said the junior Hand, recalling the chat on the deck before the team went out and clocked its winning time of 3:45.93. "We talked about safe starts and going all out and doing what you can do to win. I was hoping that Jesse would pull that out and he did it for us."
Hand, who also swam on PHS' winning 200 medley relay team (1:55.68) in addition to winning both the 200 individual medley (2:17.63) and the 100 breaststroke (1:10.46), acknowledged that the Little Tigers came into Saturday's finals knowing they were in for a battle.
"After yesterday, we were the underdogs," said Hand, referring to the results from Friday's preliminary races. "Coming in here we had fewer swimmers in the finals than WW/P-S. The scoring yesterday was 228-221 South."
But what PHS may have lacked in quantity, they made up for in quality when the chips were down Saturday. "We picked up a lot of points from a lot of guys today," asserted Hand. "A big part of it is a lot of people who don't get much credit a lot of the time like Tommy [McKinley], Anson [Hook], and [Billy] Boyce. We knew pretty much that this could be our last year to win this. We're just happy to come back in here and win this."
As for his individual exploits, Hand was more charged up by his overall contribution to the team. "I'm more happy with the relays than the individual events," said Hand. "I was happy to come in here and help the team out a lot."
For PHS head coach Greg Hand, the team's county three-peat was particularly special considering the struggle his team went through in earning the crown.
"This is the sweetest of the three," said Hand, whose team ended up outscoring WW/P-S 231-223. "If everybody had held their seeds from Friday we would have lost by eight points. But it's not a dual meet, the whole county figured into the results today. What makes me so happy is that virtually everybody, regardless of whether they went up or down, swam a season's best. A large number did personal bests."
In addition to the stellar performance Hand received from his son Pete, senior sprinting star Applegate won two individual titles, taking first in the 50 free (24.08) and winning the 100 free (52.77). Others who starred included Hook, who tied teammate McKinley for third in the 50 free and then took fourth in the 100 free, and Devin White, the fourth-place finisher in the 200 IM.
Coming into the final relay, the coach was confident that his team would take care of business. "My sense is that if our first three guys can be in it when we get to Jesse, we'll be OK," said Hand. "Jesse is not only fast, he races the relays hard. They really matter to him."
With the third straight county title having been accomplished, Hand is looking forward to the state Public B championships in which PHS has finished second in each of the last two seasons.
"It's a matter of hoping," said Hand, when asked whether his team's best swimming is ahead. "The experts agree that tapering is not an exact science. We just try to put them in a position where they are well-rested and sharp. Ninety percent of it is up to them."
The coach's son believes his team will hold up its end of the bargain. "I'm sure we have a lot of good swimming to come," said the versatile Hand. "I think it comes down to a great work ethic and working hard in practice."
