Pennington’s boys’ swim team captured its first Prep B state title since 2020, finishing ahead of runner-up Newark Academy among several strong Prep B programs. Both Prep A and Prep B schools competed at the NJISAA Championships, held at Lawrenceville on Tuesday, January 2.

Team captains George Ward Jr. ’26 and Alex Loh ’26 accepted both the traveling trophy and the state championship trophy at the conclusion of the meet. In keeping with Pennington tradition, the team celebrated by tossing head coach George Ward ’88 into the pool after the victory.

Pennington established momentum early and sustained it throughout the meet. In the opening event—the 200-yard medley relay—the Red Hawks placed third overall and first in Prep B, thanks to strong swims from Ethan Han ’29, Bassim Hussain ’29, Oliver Brown ’28, and George Ward Jr.

The second event continued the scoring surge, with Mason Schultz ’27 taking second in Prep B in the 200-yard freestyle.

In event three, the 200-yard individual medley, Ethan Han delivered one of the day’s signature performances, finishing first overall (across both Prep A and Prep B).

Ward Jr. added valuable points in the 50-yard freestyle, taking second in Prep B in event four, while Schultz struck again in event five by winning first in Prep B in the 100-yard butterfly.

Pennington’s depth continued to show. Ward Jr. earned a first-place Prep B finish in the 100-yard freestyle, and Oliver Brown claimed an impressive first-place Prep B win in the 500-yard freestyle.

Basim Hussain '29 took first in Prep B in the 100-yard breaststroke.

The meet concluded with a standout performance in the 400-yard freestyle relay, where Brown, Ward Jr., Schultz, and Han took third place overall (across both divisions), securing crucial points to lock in the championship.

Capping a dominant day, Ethan Han was named Prep B Swimmer of the Meet after winning two events outright—the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard backstroke (each across both A and B). Han also set a new Pennington School record in the 200 IM with a time of 1:53.20.

The 2026 NJISAA Prep B State Champion Red Hawks include:
Anthony Botero ’29, James Brandeis ’28, Oliver Brown ’28, Chase Coren ’28, Tareq Cortes ’28, Ethan Han ’29, Liam Hocquaux ’27, Basim Hussain ’29, Alex Loh ’26 (captain), Masen McElvaine ’29, Mason Schultz ’27, Hirobumi Tanaka ’29, George Ward Jr. ’26 (captain), and Garik Zlotchew ’29.