Yasmine Ware, 14, and Anya Littlefield, 17, set the standard for the Swim Kaua‘i Aquatics team of 10 at the 2011 Hawaiian Swimming Age Group State Championships in Kona last weekend. Between the 10 swimmers, the group finished with one
Yasmine Ware, 14, and Anya Littlefield, 17, set the standard for the Swim Kaua‘i Aquatics team of 10 at the 2011 Hawaiian Swimming Age Group State Championships in Kona last weekend.
Between the 10 swimmers, the group finished with one Hawaiian Age Group record broken by Ware, 28 State Championship medals, 12 State Champion titles and two High Point Age Group Champion titles. The wins helped lead the Swim Kaua‘i Aquatics (SKA) team to an overall 11th place finish by the SKA contingent following four days of swimming.
“I have never seen something as incredible as these kids were,” said Billy Brown, head coach of SKA. “These kids’ swims were absolutely incredible. Of their combined 50 swims, they ended up earning 49 personal best times.”
Littlefield and Ware each won six Individual State Championship titles, as well as the High Point award for their respective age groups. It was the first time two champion swimmers at the same State Championships came from Kaua‘i, SKA spokeswoman Jane Machorek said in an SKA news release.
“The girls contributed significantly to the team’s overall point standing, helping to clinch 11th place overall with only 10 swimmers against much larger teams from across the state,” Machorek said.
Ware, a freshman at Kaua‘i High School, already had a hand in three Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation new records during the season opening qualifying meet. She ignited the stadium this month when she broke the 25-year-old Hawaiian Age Group swimming record in the 100-yard breaststroke on a 1:04.60 swim.
This new standard was at the forefront of her award-winning performance in Kona, where she finished with eight new personal best times, dominating her division.
Ware took top honors in the 200-yard freestyle (1:54.51), the 100-yard freestyle (523.66), the 50-yard freestyle (23.40), the 100-yard butterfly (57.38) and the 100-yard backstroke (57.95). She finished third in the 200-yard Individual medley (2:10.96) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:25.59).
Littlefield also finished perfect, getting top honors in the 1650-yard freestyle (17:23.02), the 1000-yard freestyle (10:26.45), the 500-yard freestyle (5:06.79), the 200-yard freestyle (1:55.51), the 200-yard butterfly (2:09.48) and the 400-yard individual medley (IM) (4:38.33). The swimmer for Kapa‘a High School in the KIF also finished second in the 100-yard freestyle (54.64) and the 100-yard butterfly (59.16).
Kate Machorek, 14, who joined Ware in shattering six KIF records at the opening meet here, finished sixth overall in the Girls 13-14 division.
In her opening event, the 1650-yard freestyle, Kate overcame difficulties to finish fifth place with a personal best time of 18:16.59, bettering her seeded swim by more than 55 seconds.
“She lost her swim cap halfway through her race,” Jane Machorek said. “That was followed by her goggles and her hair band. She fought on for another 600 yards just on sheer determination.”
Kate finished second in the 500-yard freestyle (5:10.24) and third in the 400 IM (4:38.47), 100-yard backstroke (1:00.58) and the 200-yard backstroke (2:08.93). She added a fourth in the 1000-yard freestyle (10:52.61), a fifth place in the 200 IM and sixth in the 200-yard freestyle.
Sophie Britzmann, 16, earned her first State Championship medals in the Girls 15-16 division. She finished seventh in the 200-yard freestyle, and eighth in the 400 IM and the 500-yard freestyle, putting up best times in all of her events during the meet.
Tambrina Fairbanks, 16, earned a new Zone time standard in the 200-yard breaststroke on a 2:31.57 swim, bettering her previous swim by 4.92 seconds. She finished sixth in the Girls 15-16 division, helped by her 100-yard breaststroke (1:13.16) swim where she chopped more than three seconds off her seeded time.
Kaz Tasic, 17, earned new best times in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:13.26) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:38.59).
Jack Machorek, 11, was the youngest swimmer of the group, swimming in six events for six new best times, his biggest improvement coming in the 200 IM (2:42.32) for more than an eight-second improvement and the 200-yard freestyle (2:21.02) for a 7.69-second improvement.
Tyler Keith, 15, posted his best swims in the 500-yard freestyle (5:18.25) for a 19.64-second improvement and in the 1650-yard Freestyle (18:17.96) for an improvement of 66.80.
Quinn Hannah-White, 15, also swam freestyle events, exclusively, with his best swim coming in the 500-yard freestyle (5:19.89), where he broke the 5:20 mark.
Carolyn Price, 12, competed in her first state championship, marking a 1.57 improvement in her 100-yard backstroke (1:13.55).
“I’m so proud of our entire team,” Brown said. “Not just the kids who swam at State, but all of the kids, parents and coaches who make SKA what it is. Without everyone’s support back home, our kids would not have done as well as they did.”
SKA will be back in the water at the YMCA Pool in Puhi in January.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
