GOING THE DISTANCE: Princeton High girls’ swimmer Elizabeth Chorba heads to a third-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle as PHS faced WW/P-South on December 19 in its last meet of 2024. Chorba took second at the 500 free in the meet as the Tigers fell 91-79 to the Pirates. PHS, now 5-1, starts 2025 action by hosting WW/P-North on January 9. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Although the Princeton High girls’ swimming team ended 2024 by losing 91-79 to WW/P-South to suffer its first loss in a regular season dual meet since December 17, 2019 (a 93-77 defeat to South), Elizabeth Chorba saw no reason for the Tigers to hang their heads.

“Seeing the score at the halfway mark, some people were a little disappointed,” said senior star and co-captain Chorba reflecting on the December 19 meet. “After that, we shifted our focus to yeah we want to try to get points, but it is also OK if we lose, so just swim for fun and enjoy it. Have a good time.”

Chorba produced some good performances in the meet, taking third in the 200-yard freestyle and second in the 500 free in addition to helping the Tigers take second in the 200 medley relay and first in the 400 free relay.

“On the 200, I tried to sprint fast like the 50 I just did in the relay before it,” said Chorba. “I tried to have that pace in the 200. I didn’t do my best but I talked to my dad who is also a coach and was cheering me on. We decided that race is in the past. I am going to move on and in the 500 and I am going to do really well. On the 500, I tried to not lose as much speed. Towards the middle of the race, I tried to pick it up.”

Chorba enjoys competing in the longer events. “I like distance, I also do swim sprint but I am better at distance,” said Chorba, who swims club at the Fairless Hills YMCA in Pennsylvania where she is coached by her father. “It is nice to have my dad as my coach.”

As a senior leader for the Tigers, Chorba has striven to create a nice environment around the PHS squad.

“I am a captain and getting to pick the psyches, I feel like I have a part in the team bonding,” said Chorba. “It is great seeing swimmers in the halls and saying hi. I get to see the underclassman as well as juniors and the other seniors and captains with me and just have fun as a team.”

PHS head coach Patrick Remboski had fun watching his swimmers battle the Pirates.

“We knew that it was going to be a great test, I am really happy with the way the girls swam and competed,” said first-year head coach Remboski. “Today was just a team effort all around. I was proud to see that the girls were willing to push it and do whatever they had to in whatever event. A lot of girls swam different events tonight than they are used to.”

Remboski credited Chorba with competing hard all season long.

“Elizabeth keeps getting better and better in the 200 and the 500,” said Remboski. “She just keeps working hard every practice, every meet.”

Sophomore Hannah Ploss also had a good meet, taking second in the 100 breaststroke and third in the 200 individual medley.

“Hannah has been a huge component to our team, we are so happy to have her,” said Remboski. “She is really willing to swim any event. A lot of them have a choir concert tonight so she was putting in a full shift in the pool and then going to the choir concert. The commitment to the team is really special.”
Other swimmers who stepped up against WW/P-South included junior Vivian Lee, who took second in the 200 free and third in the 100 free and sophomore Nia Zagar, the second-place finisher in both the 200 IM and 100 butterfly. Junior Emily Walden placed second in the 50 free and fourth in the 100 back while freshman Charlotte Flanagan finished in the 100 back.

With PHS starting 2025 by hosting WW/P-North on January 9, Remboski believes that the defeat to the Pirates could benefit PHS as it heads into the homestretch of the season.

“We have had a really long December, this is our sixth meet this month,” said Remboski. “I think this was a really good one to have, it is going to help us in the long run. This is a good one to keep us humble and realize that we are going to have to work really hard, especially with the section we are in this year.”

Chorba believes that the squad’s camaraderie is going to help in the long run.

“I think our team is really good, it is really special team,” said Chorba. “It is really interesting seeing us on the deck in our swimsuits but also off with our backpacks and everything. At school in class, we talk about swim; it is just nice. On the bus, we play music and jam out.”