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PHS Swimming Star Applegate Looking to Reach New Heights
By Bill Alden
Jesse Applegate has always been someone to look up to, literally and figuratively, for his teammates on the Princeton High boys' swimming team.
Physically, the 6'6 or so Applegate stands out at any pool, whether he's poised in the starting blocks or towering above his teammates in between races on the pool deck.
In the water, Applegate has established himself as money in the bank for the Little Tigers when it comes to the sprinting events. As a sophomore two seasons ago, Applegate took third at the Mercer County Swimming Championships in both the 50 and 100 meter freestyle events.
Last season, Applegate took the county title in both of those races in addition to becoming one of the most lethal anchor leg swimmers in the area in relay events.
This winter, Applegate believes his development mentally as a swimmer will help reach new heights in the pool. "I've matured," said the easygoing Applegate last Thursday on the deck at the WW/P-N pool after PHS cruised past the Northern Knights 116-54. "I just feel a lot more loose this year. Before, I would get tired of competing once in a while. This year, I'm more focused."
Applegate is combining his more intense mental approach with plenty of work in the pool. "I'm at a higher training level than last year," explained Applegate, who also stars for the competitive X-Cel club program which is based at Princeton University's DeNunzio Pool. "I have a lot more endurance. I'm doing more of everything from my distance work to my sets of timed intervals."
Applegate has his sights set on making the national cut in the 50 and 100 free and plans to continue his competitive swimming career at college next year.
PHS head coach Greg Hand has enjoyed seeing Applegate's development. "Jesse has been maturing for a long time," said Hand. "He was 13 or 14 years old when I first saw him and now he's a man. He knows what he wants to do."
Applegate had his usual day at the office against WW/P-N as he won the 100 free in 54.33, the 100 backstroke in 1:07.63 and swam a blistering anchor leg to lead PHS to an easy win in the 400 free relay as the quartet clocked a time of 3:58.50. Applegate also led off for the Little Tigers' victorious 200 medley relay (2:01.21).
"Jesse was fantastic tonight, especially in the 400 relay," added Hand. "The guys wanted to put together a strong effort, we know that relay has to be fast."
In Hand's view, Applegate's contribution to the team extends well beyond the points he routinely contributes to the PHS score.
"Part of the coaching is to support Jesse's efforts to be a team leader," said Hand, whose club has gotten off to a 4-0 start. "He's doing a great job of that as well."
Hand will need Applegate to exert a special brand of leadership as the program looks to fill the void left by its Class of 2003 which helped the team win two straight county titles and place second in the Public B state tournament the last two winters.
Applegate, for his part, believes the team is on the right track. "I really like this team, our team spirit and our competitive nature," said a grinning Applegate. "We're all business. We haven't really thought at all about losing those seniors. We have a lot of talent on this team, we're really competitive."
With a more mature Applegate dedicated to reaching new heights, the Little Tigers should continue to be a force.
