Princeton wins second straight MCT team title
WEST WINDSOR >> It’s difficult to defend a title in any sport. The best of the best make it look easy though, and that’s exactly how the Princeton High boys swimming team made it look in the Mercer County Tournament at West Windsor North Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers defended their MCT title from a year a go in style, winning six of the eleven total events. Princeton finished the meet with 312 points, 141 more than Notre Dame who grabbed second place.
Senior Daniel Baytin also added some individual hardware to Princeton’s record books after being named Swimmer of the Meet for the tournament.
Baytin followed his recordbreaking performance in the 100 meter breaststroke with another impressive first place time of 1:05:28. Both that and his record time of 1:03:84, set at the prelims on Friday night, were good enough to beat the previous meet record set by Steinert’s Zach Mabin in 2013. Baytin also added a win in the 50 meter freestyle.
While he got some extra praise for his performances, Baytin was quick to credit his entire team for Princeton’s all-around impressive showing.
“We’ve had a lot of great additions this season. We’ve improved a lot,” Baytin said. “The energy is a lot higher this year. I’m just really proud of us.”’
High expectations come with winning often. Winning is all that Princeton has done this season, riding an undefeated record into the county tournament for the second straight year.
“I always tell them that the target is on our back,” Princeton coach Carly Misiewicz said. “We knew what we were capable of. This is another stepping stone toward our ultimate goal for the season.”
That ultimate goal, as it was last season, is to win a state title. The Tigers fell just short last year, being narrowly defeated by Chatham in the NJSIAA Group B Final.
Both the boys and girls teams for Princeton remain undefeated this season. Swimmers on both sides have motivated eachother, and Baytin has noticed.
“We’re always competing with each other. It does a lot for both of us,” Baytin said. “They’re awesome. They’ve been putting in a lot of work and it shows.”
The work is not yet done for the Tigers. With a couple weeks to prepare for the start of the postseason, Princeton’s boys have their eyes on being the last ones standing again, in a quest to be defending both county and state titles come next season.
“I think we’re set up pretty well. We’ll take the time off to rest and
refocus for the postseason,” Misiewicz said. “My message and goal from the beginning of the season has always been to take it one step at a time. Your next meet is never guaranteed.”