"I was so ecstatic for the guys," Shoulberg said. "For us to get second at Easterns was awesome last year."
Shoulberg is not doing anything different following last year's runner-up finish. There will be no motivational speeches, no change of approach.
"I've been here 39 years and it's real simple: We work really hard, and good things happen," Shoulberg said.
The Patriots, under Shoulberg's guidance, will most likely be back in the hunt again this year at Easterns, but they will have to work really hard. Twelve of the Patriots' swimmers graduated last year, and Shoulberg said that replacing their contributions to the team will be nearly impossible.
"It will be particularly tough for the boys to be as good as they were last year," he said. "Out of the 12 who graduated last year, 10 are swimming at Division I schools, five compete for a Division I-A university and the other is competing at a Division III university."
Even though Shoulberg has guided the Patriots to many successful seasons, he said that winning championships at the high school level is not his primary goal.
"My goal is to see our athletes move on to a good university and continue competing there," he said.
As for this year's squad, the team is led by Stephen McMillin, Mark Ramos and Jeff Cragg. The three senior team captains each specialize in different areas of swimming, which provides the Patriots balance in their meets.
"Stephen is our best all-around swimmer. He can go anywhere," Shoulberg said about McMillin, who is heading to Bucknell next year. "Mark is our best distance swimmer and Jeff is an outstanding diver."
McMillin, Ramos and Cragg all reflect Shoulberg's policy of hard work equaling success.
"All three of (our captains) work hard at what they do and will compete in college," he said.
However, before the trio heads off to the next level and continues to display its skills, the three have a senior season to tackle, which begins Saturday afternoon at the Hill Relay. Their first meet with the team that overtook the Patriots on the championship podium occurs Jan. 9 at The Peddie School.
Expect the Patriots to work hard, in the hope that good things will happen - not just on that date, but for every meet during the 2007-08 season.