KEAAU — In 2015, it was easy for Hawaii Prep coach Mark Noetzel to modestly write off Hawaii Prep’s sweep of the BIIF boys and girls swimming and diving championships as a mere fluke.
Well, three years later and always with the same result, and it’s just as easy to detect a trend.
This time, Noetzel credited senior leadership and a huge helping hand from the incomparable Maile Lawson.
Ka Makani’s girls actually faced obstacles this time en route to their fifth consecutive title, namely four lightning delays spread over two days and a record-setting performance from Waiakea’s Mina Poppas, but that just added to the fun, HPA seniors Karly Noetzel and Kira Parker said Saturday at Naeole Pool.
“Going into my freshman year (2015), I really didn’t know much about high school swimming,” Karly Noetzel said. “Winning was cool.
“But now, this was awesome.”
Lawson, a junior, captured four more golds, giving her 11 in her BIIF finals career to go along with one silver, but Parker noted it was all hands on deck this time.
“It made everyone’s races count and that’s pretty exciting,” she said.
Parker took one for the team and went up against Poppas in the 200-yard freestyle, which might have been the only thing that kept her from taking home double individual gold at BIIFs for the third consecutive season.
“I don’t really swim the 200, but (Mina) was awesome,” Parker said after earning silver.
She won her third consecutive title in the 100 freestyle (52.39 seconds), but stayed away from a potential threepeat in the backstroke — she’s the BIIF record-holder in both events — because Mark Noetzel knew he needed to earn points in as many events as possible after Waiakea got off to a strong start early Saturday morning by sweeping the diving medals (Kaitlin Iwahashi, Marissa Iwahashi, Caitlyn Nagata).
That strategic decision is also why Lawson didn’t go for her third consecutive title in her signature event in which she holds the record, the breaststroke, instead striking gold for a second time in the 200 individual medley (2:09.40) and winning her first 100 butterfly final (57.98).
Anticipating more bad weather — Friday’s trials were shortened — the swimming championships started at approximately 12:30 p.m. with HPA winning the IM relay, and after two lightning delays sent the swimmers inside Kamehameha’s Koaia Gym, the girls finals ended more than more than five hours later with Ka Makani winning the 400 freestyle relay, outpointing Waiakea 130-120.
About 30 minutes later during an interview, Parker nostalgically told Karly Noetzel, “This is our last BIIF meet.”
Parker will swim for Division I Vermont, while Noetzel is headed toward Division III Denison in Ohio.
“I don’t really think swimming is ending for me, we’re just spiraling up,” Noetzel said. “I’m proud of everyone.”
She was happiest with her winning time of 24.61 in the 50 freestyle, an event she also won as a sophomore, and she took silver in the breaststroke behind Kealakehe’s Ku’ulei Patterson (1:06.58), who was second after Lawson in the butterfly.
HPA’s Anna Sorensen won silver behind Lawson in the 200 IM and she was second as Emily Munjar took the backstroke (1:00.23), giving Kealakehe another gold.
Also winning two silvers was Hilo freshman Raven Domingo (50 and 100 free), Mary Campbell took home one for St. Joseph in the 500, and HPA’s 200 freestyle relay team had to settle for second after Kamehameha turned in a strong effort for gold.
Waiakea freshman Korrie Tengan won a pair of bronze medals (200 IM, butterfly), as did Kohala’s Sydney Weirnicki (200, backstroke).
Poppas’ moment
Records were in short supply save for the performance of Poppas, a junior who won her first BIIF gold in style, finishing the 200 in 1:53.28 to shave a second off the league mark set by Kealakehe’s Krista Maier in the 2008.
“I’ve been focusing more on the 500 because I really wanted that one,” said Poppas who enjoys open-ocean swims. “I think when you train in the 500, the 200 is more fun, more of a gimme.”
She later dominated the 500, and the only drama was if she would catch Maier’s BIIF championship record, which she missed by about a half second in 5:07.75.
“I was tired after the (200) and I felt it the 500,” she said “Like, ‘Ahhh.’
“At states, I want to lower my team in the 200 and try to break 5:03 in the 500.”