BY MATT GERHART | STEPHENS MEDIA ADVERTISING Kealakehe coach Steve Borowski mixes and matches his swimmers to meet a team goal, all the while pushing them to be the best they can be. It’s a simple philosophy, really. “We had
BY MATT GERHART | STEPHENS MEDIA
Kealakehe coach Steve Borowski mixes and matches his swimmers to meet a team goal, all the while pushing them to be the best they can be.
It’s a simple philosophy, really.
“We had them all focus on their personal goals,” he said. “And then usually it will all come together.”
On Saturday, the Waveriders came together to claim a Big Island Interscholastic Federation title.
Leahi Camacho won a pair of races at Kona Community Aquatic Center, and Kealakehe finished its victory in style as the 400-yard freestyle relay team broke a league record.
While Camacho was the Waveriders’ most decorated swimmer in the finals, their best overall performer, junior Madison Hauanio, took one for the team by taking on Anu Nihipali in the 100 backstroke. The Hawaii Prep junior put up a new BIIF standard in her signature event for the second consecutive day.
Hauanio, meanwhile, won her third BIIF title in the 200 individual medley, and got points for her team in the backstroke by finishing second.
“Madison could have swum almost anything,” Borowski said. “She probably could have won the 200 and 500 free or 100 butterfly, but we wanted to spread things out and let everybody get experience.”
Waiakea junior Madisyn Uekawa made it 6-for-6 in BIIF finals in her career, winning the 50 free and her third 100 breaststroke. She also swam a leg on the Warriors’ winning 200 medley relay team, but runner-up Waiakea was denied in its repeat bid.
Camacho unseated a pair of defending BIIF champions in the 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle, before following Hauanio and Kelly Jernigan on the 400 relay and turning it over to Cara Jernigan on the anchor leg.
Kelly Jernigan, Madison Hauanio, Cara Jernigan and Sarah Somsanquansit teamed up on the Waveriders’ winning 200 freestyle relay victory.
Camacho just touched before Kelly Jernigan in capturing a grueling butterfly, but still had room in the tank in the meet’s longest race, the 500.
Cara Jernigan (200 freestyle, breaststroke) and freshman Phoenix-Claudia Hauanio (50 free) scored second-place finishes for the Waveriders.
Nihipali, a veteran of Kamehameha Swimming Club on Oahu, made an easy transition in her first go-around at high school swimming.
The transfer set her third BIIF record of the season in the backstroke, shaking off a recent injury and showing just why Borowski refers to her as the best at what she does in the state.
Hilo junior Beth Tsuha defended her titles in the 100 and 200 freestyles, missing a league mark in the 200 by a tenth of a second for the third-place Vikings.
WAIAKEA BOYS CLAIM BIIF CROWN
Nobody at Kona Community Aquatic Center could catch Ky Foo or Sean Domingo.
Waiakea’s swimmers did the best job of staying close.
The Warriors won only one race Saturday, but Adam Hill’s triumph and a whole lot of depth carried Waiakea to the Big Island Interscholastic Federation swimming championship.
Veteran Waiakea coach Bill Sakovich said he couldn’t ever recall winning a title with so few gold medals — but that did nothing to spoil what turned out to be a true team victory.
While it was a good day for Waiakea, former Warriors swimmer Kimo Guerrero had a bit of a rough weekend.
Foo and Domingo took turns erasing his name from the BIIF record books.
Foo, a Kealakehe senior, set a BIIF mark in the 500-yard freestyle for the second consecutive day, squashing a record Guerrero set in 1980.
Domingo, a Hawaii Prep senior, lowered a mark in the 200 freestyle that Guerrero reached in 1981.
Foo also set a BIIF finals mark in taking the 200 individual medley, but the Waveriders had only one other swimmer score points, and they finished far back in fifth.
The league titles were the first two for a swimmer who’s been working with coach Steve Borowski for 10 years.
“Extra training with Coach and morning sessions have helped a lot,” Foo said. “Especially this season, we wanted to see drops, so he devised a program for us.”
Ka Makani collected seven gold medals and finished runner-up.
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