KEAAU – This truly is a new chapter for Hawaii Prep swimming. Several chapters, in fact.
Two weeks out from the BIIF championships, Hawaii Prep coach Mark Noetzel said it was too early worry about formulating title defenses for his boys and girls teams.
Instead of focusing on extending dynasties – the Ka Makani girls have won five league titles in row and the boys four – HPA and its coach have had their collective mind elsewhere: “The Four Agreements.”
Noetzel said his swimmers are reading the bestselling book by Don Miguel Ruiz that advocates four beliefs toward gaining personal freedom: be impeccable with your word; don’t take anything personally; don’t make assumptions; always do your best.
“We’ve been focusing on each other and how to be better teammates to each other and be better competitors,” Noetzel said. “I think it was necessary given where we were as a team in terms of getting to know each other a little better and developing friendships that they’re going to have beyond their swimming years.
“They go through a lot in the pool and to have each others’ backs and understand each other in the water goes a long way.”
That HPA brought 26 swimmers, with just a few missing, to Saturday’s meet at Kamehameha’s Naeole Pool had to be welcome sight to the rest of the league.
Ka Makani don’t appear to carry around quite the red wave like they have had at their disposal in the past, as they used a combination of front-end talent and sheer depth to dominate the BIIF waters for the better part of the past half-decade.
“We’re a developing depth team,” Noetzel said with a chuckle.
HPA still can put a check by the talent box, however.
“Maybe not as many (of them), but they have front-liners,” Waiakea coach Bill Sakovich said.
This is the last chance for Maile Lawson to adder to her prolific high school career. The senior has 11 golds and one silver in BIIF championship competition, all the more impressive considering 12 is the maximum events she could enter (four in a year, two individuals and two relays).
Lawson, the defending state breaststroke champion, won the individual medley and butterfly at BIIFs last season, but Saturday she finished second to Kealakehe’s Emily Munjar in the fly, and Lawson was part of a winning 200-yard medley relay team that also included Ryanne Doherty. Noetzel complimented the junior for improvement.
On the boy side, Kaden Parker took the BIIF by storm last season, sprinting his way to four golds, and Saturday he beat a strong field in the 100 freestyle, winning in 49.28 seconds, with Kamehameha Justin Chow second and Waiakea’s Nainoa Loo third.
Brock Imonen also is a threat for double individual gold. His wins Saturday came in the 200 IM, edging Kealakehe’s Weylin Foo, and the 500 free, where he bested Christian Liberty’s Cameron Wells. Imonen and Wells finished 1-2 in the 500 at BIIFs last season.
Noetzel came away encouraged by Kyle Weyrick’s victory in the breaststroke.
“He made the final in the breaststroke last year as a high point. He won the event today after a great deal of improvement,” Noetzel said. “He’s coming on.
“It’s a good year, maybe not a championship year, but a good year. I like the balance of the competition across the island at Kealakehe, Waiakea, Kamehameha and Hilo.”
“It will be interesting to see how the points shape out.”
The Waveriders stand a better chance to finish higher points-wise with Shea Tsuha in the fold. The senior was a double individual gold medalist for Hilo Hilo in 2017. In addition to winning the fly Saturday, Munjar was second to Waiakea’s Korrie Tengan in the backstroke, an event Munjar won gold in last season. The third BIIF girls champion at Kealakehe is Ku’uleionalani Patterson, first in the breaststroke last season.
After finishing second to Imonen in the IM, Foo won the fly. He is the defending champ in that event and the breaststroke.
Another returning double gold individual gold medalist is Waiakea senior Mina Poppas (200 and 500 free).
She’s the BIIF record-holder in the 200 and she cruised to victories in both her signature events at Kamehameha, holding off Tengan in the 500.
Poppas, Tengan and Loo are the Warriors’ headliners, but Sakovich noted some of his less experienced swimmers performed well, too.
“I am happy that virtually all the nonclub, first-year swimmers are dropping times, virtually every meet,” he said. “The harder we work them, the more they drop.”
Kamren Flores reached a state qualifying time in the butterfly, and Sakovich noted Haruna Tomono, Kayla Okazaki and Kyrie Bartolome are closing in on reaching state times with two meets to go.
For Hilo, sophomore Raven Domingo dipped below 25 seconds in winning the 100 free at 24.95 – Tsuha is the BIIF record-holder, reaching 24.18 as a Viking in 2017.
Also, Hilo pulled off an exciting win in the boys 200 freestyle relay
“We were just trying to make a state qualifying time,” coach Jon Hayashida said. “It was good to see that they could go that fast.”
HPA won the other two boys relays, while Kamehameha won two girls relays and HPA the other.
One is enough
There are small rosters, and than there are SMALL rosters.
Led by Mary Campbell, the St. Joseph girls have just enough girls swimmers to enter relay races, while Honokaa’s boys were happy to take third in their first 400 free relay.
At Christian Liberty and Pahoa, a single swimmer carries the banner.
Wells was part of a two-swimmer team last year as he finished runner-up at BIIFs in both distance freestyle events, but this year he’s all alone, and with no qualms.
“I like it, because I can focus more on my swimming than everyone else,” Wells said. “Last week I did swim an exhibition with Ka’u. That was fun.”
The junior is coached by his mother, Tammy Wells, for league competitions. Wells is a member of Hilo Aquatic Club, and he practices at Sparky Kawamoto Swim Stadium for BIIF and age group competitions.
Wells’ last victory came in the 200 IM on Jan. 5 at Kona Community Aquatic Center, but he’ll more than likely focus on the 200 and 500 free when BIIFs rolls around Jan. 26 at KCAC.
“I know I can get a little bit more improvement, hopefully for BIIFs,” Wells said.
The Daggers, under Dorothy Staskawicz, had 15 swimmers last season, but Pahoa’s pool was closed in May as it became a support shelter during the Kilauea eruption, and the lone swimmer making the trek this season to Kawamoto is Ashlee Kubo.
“She’s an age group swimmer, so she’s dedicated,” Staskawicz said. “We kept it alive so we wouldn’t have to fold the program.”
She said Kubo, a freshman, will compete at the BIIF padding championships this Saturday at Hilo Bay, then head to Kailua-Kona Jan. 26 for the swimming and diving finals.
Staskawicz said she’s hopeful Pahoa’s county pool will open soon, which would help revive her club team as well.