The sound of the starting horn reverberates throughout the pool as Jaiden Xu ’25 dives off the block, precisely cutting his way through the water. His rivals struggle to keep up, as he glides through the water in a rhythm and pace that has been meticulously cultivated throughout his years of experience. In an effortless display of his underwater prowess, Xu scores the key points for his team

Xu was introduced to swimming at an early age, with his father kickstarting what would eventually blossom into an 11-year career. His father became one of his inspirations along with 23 time Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps.

“My father taught [my brother and I] at a young age ... I really looked up to my father,” said Xu.

Xu explained that his father and Phelps share key traits: dedication, perseverance, and resilience, which played a key role in his decision to stay in the sport, despite facing many challenges.

“There was a period in time where injuries plagued me, and it genuinely made me [think about] quitting,” said Xu. “But I thought about the fact that I’ve put so much effort into this sport I might as well continue and see how far it’ll take me. It’s not like it’s going to be the end of the world if I don’t perform well.”

His commitment and dedication to his team paid off, as Xu’s efforts aided the PHS boys swim team in clinching the Colonial Valley Conference championship this past January, going undefeated in the regular season and individually placing in the top three. Boys swim coach Carly Misiewicz has noticed Xu’s capability ever since his freshman year.

“From his first year he was somebody who was very talented [and] very skilled,” said Misiewicz. “He was a top contributor as a freshman ... but he’s really grown into being able to swim almost any event.”

In between his commitment to the sport, Xu finds time for other aspects of his life, especially his family and his education.

“With my family, I try to spend as much time as I can, especially on the weekends,” said Xu. “[For] school work, I try to finish in school so I don’t have to do it at home. [But], sometimes I do have to miss practice in order to finish work.”

His dedication to excellence is also shown in his leadership. David Xu ’25 has been on the team with Xu for all four years, witness- ing the behind-the-scenes effort he puts into the sport.

“He’s definitely one of the hardest workers out there that I know of,” said Xu. “He’s always there ... helping and pushing teammates to do their best and go their fastest.

Xu’s leadership has been critical to the team’s success this year, especially in an important swim meet against West Windsor High School South when it came down to the final relay where the boys needed first and second place to win the meet. That’s when Jaiden came up with a strategy.

“[He suggested to] split up our best swimmers into both these relays so we could secure these positions, and it ended up helping us win the meet,” said David Xu.

Xu plans to carry his swimming career into the next four years at Hamilton University, where he will continue to compete at a high level in a sport that he has loved since his childhood.

Jaiden Xu ’25: swimming

Nerves settle in. A close game against a challenging opponent is coming down to the wire. With the difference only being a single goal, Ellie Naggar ’25 sprints around the field, switches on to open players, and manages to hit a pivotal slide on the opposing team to prevent a goal. The Tigers are able to hold on for a close 8–7 victory, gaining a huge win backed by Naggar’s stellar defense.

Naggar was first introduced to the sport in second grade by following her sister, Winnie Naggar ’20 in her footsteps, leading her to join the Princeton Girls Lacrosse Club. Ever since then, she has loved lacrosse, a love that she still holds with her in what is now her 10th year in the sport. Additionally, Naggar’s defensive style of play was inspired by players that came before her at PHS, such as Eva Petrone ’21, who was also a defender and now plays lacrosse at Fairfield University.

“A lot of my sister’s friends played, and [they were] pretty inspiring ... They looked like they had a lot of fun playing the sport. I did some summer camps and I really liked it,” said Naggar.

As a defender, Naggar is responsible for being an effective communicator and executing key plays to prevent the opposing team from scoring goals, as one mistake can be the difference between a win or a loss.

“Ellie is one of the best communicators on the field. You can always hear her, no matter where she is on the field,” said Head Coach Katherine Federico.

As team captain, Naggar leads the team with her aggressive defensive strategy and optimistic spirit. In a winning game against Hillsborough, Naggar played a key role in helping her team secure the win before going into the state tournament. As a fellow defender, Zoie Reynolds ’26 has known Naggar since second grade and played club lacrosse with her from third to fifth grade.

“Ellie inspires me [to be] a leader and [to be] loud and vocal on defense. She’s actually one of the people I depend on because she’s very vocal,” said Reynolds ’26.

Throughout her time on the team, Naggar has shown tremendous growth from her earlier years to her current role as captain of the team. Despite not making varsity freshman year, Naggar worked hard to improve her game by playing at the Gym and Center Court, which is a winter lacrosse league played during the offseason.

During her career as captain, Naggar learned about the importance of a positive attitude and body language on her team’s performance.

“I can see the [team’s] body language change when we cheer them on versus when we don’t. That’s the part of being captain you enjoy most, empowering your teammates.”

In addition to cheering on teammates, Naggar takes pride in continuing traditions that she took part in as an underclassman. One of these involves surprising new members of the varsity team by going to their home or other places to let them know they have made the team. When she was a sophomore, Naggar remembers this as one of her most memorable moments on this team.

“It was just so much fun, and it was a great team bonding activity. It’s a tradition,” said Naggar. “I literally cried when I made varsity because I was so excited, so doing that for the other kids that made it this year was super fun.”

The girls lacrosse team finished the season 12–9 before falling to Red Bank Regional High School in the first round of the state tournament. While Naggar currently has no official plan to play lacrosse at the next level, she acknowledges the impact it has made on her life.

“I’ll definitely be friends with all of these girls forever, and I might play club and college. I just think it has taught me that sports are super important,” said Naggar.

Outside of gaining lifelong friends because of lacrosse, Naggar also learned that success often comes from constant vigilance.

“You need to always be looking around. You need to watch both the girl and the ball at the same time, and you need to be able to multitask, which a lot of people say is impossible, but I think most defenders have it down pretty well.”

Photo: Charley Hu


Naggar leads her last team practice as varsity captain, bringing an end to her 10-year lacrosse career.

Ellie Naggar ’25: lacrosse

The month of March is known for many things in the sports world, but by far the most popular is the NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament, or March Madness, a thrilling 68-team tournament full of underdog stories and intense games of college basketball. According to the NCAA, the chance of filling out a perfect bracket is one in approximately 9.2 quintillion. Yet, despite these odds, millions of people fill out their brackets every year for fun, prizes, or glory, including PHS’s very own students.

“I love March Madness because of all the uncertainty. It’s [very] fun,” said Octavio Shank ’27. 

Teams are seeded 1–16 in each of the regions. The bracket will play out until the championship is left with 4 region champions and then a grand champion. Every year, millions watch as small school winners from underfunded conferences come out of nowhere and win against much more seasoned teams, shocking the world and ruining bracket predictions. These unexpected wins are what put the madness in March Madness. 

As an example, the Princeton Tigers won the Ivy League tournament in 2022 and were placed into the bracket as a #15 seed. The Tigers stunned everyone by defeating #2 Arizona then #7 Missouri, advancing to the round of 16 and breaking millions of brackets along the way.

“I remember my brother telling my mom, ‘Hey Mom, we might actually win this.’ We’re up by ten points with only two minutes to go ... the emotions at the end and the feeling of ‘oh my goodness we just won this insane, crazy game’ was so much fun,” said John Staples ’27, a fan that attended the Princeton vs Missouri game in Sacramento back in 2022.

March Madness is a thrilling, unpredictable college basketball tournament that, due to its unique structure and format, consistently produces games where smaller, lower-seeded teams defeat larger, higher-seeded powerhouses. Each year, these underdogs create history and ruin millions of brackets that attempt to predict it.   

“The tournament is amazing. I think it’s a very fun tradition to do,” said Staples. 


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