Adam Kiss had Hungarian blood in his veins, Olympic dreams and many medals.
Passaic Tech swimmers made history once again on Saturday, going 4-for-4 and setting four meet records at the Passaic County Championships. In three trips to the county tournament, he was unbeatable and few came close.
No matter how fast he gets, the Arizona commitment remains grounded by setting new goals each time he crosses one. There is always another time to achieve, to reach the next record, to achieve the next record.
Kiss said, “I'm very happy.'' “I definitely wish it had happened sooner, but there's always next time. I'm happy with what happened.”
Kiss is the first Passaic Tech swimmer to earn a Division I scholarship, but he is far from the only champion in his family. His younger brother Oliver won two individual titles on Saturday and joined Adam on the two winning relays. They both swim with her team, the Scarlet Aquatics Club, which is coached by her father.
Balancing a club team and a high school team can be a slippery slope, but Bulldogs coach Dennis Aronson said the senior has done an exceptional job. Even though he can't be around all the time, it's common to see him at high school practices.
“Some club swimmers aren't like that at all,” Aronson said. “He's independent. He's determined and confident. He's not going to give up.”
Kiss started swimming at the age of three, but quit soccer after a while after realizing his speed in the water.
At Passaic Tech, he led the Bulldogs to three county titles and two sectional titles. His team has won 13 straight league duals matches.
“I think it all comes down to culture,” Kiss said. “The players are all very close and we always push each other. We always try to find the best in each other and the best in each other.”
Despite the first-year county tournament being canceled due to the coronavirus, Kiss still amassed one of the largest medal collections. The North Haledon native won 11 of 11 matches in the tournament, including six wins in individual events. Only three Passaic County boys have won more individual gold medals: Wayne Hills' Taylor Adams, Wayne Valley's Evan Custance with eight, and DePaul's Brandon Miller with seven.
On Saturday, Kiss broke the meet record in the 200-meter freestyle (1:44.91) and broke his own record in the 500-meter freestyle (4:44.53). Individual medleys are also his forte, but Kiss decided to let his younger brother take over the middle lane.
“He really loves the sport and is just as fast as me, if not faster than me,” Kiss said. “I enjoyed doing freestyle, so I was able to run the 200 free as well. I really didn't mind changing events.”
In addition to swimming, Kiss can speak Hungarian fairly well as his parents are from European countries. Adam has been to Hungary once as a toddler and he would love to go again.
Kiss is scheduled to swim in the Big 12 in Arizona and has another long flight on the horizon. Kiss feels connected to Tucson's team and coaches, and he likes the climate for practicing outdoors, he said. For now, an indoor pool is a better option as he trains in the 400m freestyle.
“Before I go to college, my goal is to qualify for the Olympic Trials,” Kiss said. “We’re getting pretty close, so we just have to keep working towards it.”
adam kiss
Sports: swimming
school: Passaic Tech
class: Senior. Year: 17
performance: Kiss led Passaic Tech to its ninth straight Passaic County title on Saturday with top times in the 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle and 200 freestyle relay.
Also nominated: In basketball, Wyatt Eglinton Manor of Ramapo, Lucas Genuario of Ethan Christian, Liam Hickey of River Dell, Saif Saleh of Clifton, Omar Tal of Cresskill and Sawyer Chapler of Northern Highlands. Don Bosco's Nevin Matešić in wrestling;
