KAPA‘A — Sophomore Yasmine Ware led the Kaua‘i High School girls swim team in breaking four Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation swim records and securing six qualifying berths to the state swimming Saturday at the Kapa‘a Swimming Pool. Joining Ware at the
KAPA‘A — Sophomore Yasmine Ware led the Kaua‘i High School girls swim team in breaking four Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation swim records and securing six qualifying berths to the state swimming Saturday at the Kapa‘a Swimming Pool.
Joining Ware at the lead was Kate Machorek, a sophomore at Kaua‘i High School. Machorek was in the mix for the KIF record breaking and picked up a qualifying berth of her own as well as two of the four consideration berths.
During the KIF swimming opener, four KIF records fell while individual swimmers pocketed six qualifying berths and four state consideration time standards.
The overflow crowd enjoying the KIF opening swim meet under clear skies and a warm sun were treated to the day’s excitement in the opening heat, the Girls 200-yard medley relay where the first KIF record dropped and the team picked up a qualifying berth.
Kate Machorek lost little time gaining a lead, using her long body to gain advantage in the backstroke leg, setting the stage for Tambrina Fairbanks, a transfer from Kapa‘a High School, in the breaststroke leg.
Ware anchored the butterfly leg, gaining even more ground over the five-team field, with Kaitlyn Santos anchoring the win during the freestyle leg.
The team stopped the clock at 1:57.72, easily surpassing the qualifying standard of 2:00.79 and smashing the existing KIF record of 1:58.29 by more than a second, which was set in 2011 by the Kaua‘i team of Kate Machorek, Ware, Sophie Britzmann and Santos.
But Ware was only getting warmed up, securing state qualifying swims in the girls’ 200-yard freestyle (1:59.21), the girls’ 50-yard freestyle (24.07) and the girls’ 100-yard butterfly (58.15) before joining the girls’ 200-yard freestyle relay team in securing another qualifying swim and breaking the existing KIF record at the same time.
During her individual swims, Ware broke two of her own records, the 50-yard freestyle where she set the bar on Jan. 28, 2012 with a 24.14 swim, and in the 100 yard butterfly, where she set the new KIF bar on Jan. 7, 2012 with a 59.26 swim.
Ware was the anchor swimmer for the Kaua‘i 200-yard freestyle relay team, which set the bar at 1:45.79 on Dec. 10, 2011, being joined by Britzmann, Santos and Kate Machorek on the team. These four girls made up the record-setting team Saturday.
Kate Machorek, in addition to being on the two record-setting teams, pocketed a qualifying and two consideration swims during the Saturday meet.
Her 2:17.14 swim in the girls’ 200-yard individual medley earned her a state qualifying berth, almost a second ahead of the 2:18.19 auto qualifying standard.
She added consideration swims in the girls’ 500-yard freestyle (5:34.28) and the girls’ 100-yard backstroke (1:05.21).
Bryson Baligad of Kapa‘a High School was the sole male swimmer to pocket any state swims, earning two consideration swims in the 200-yard Freestyle (1:54.99) and in the boys’ 100-Yard Butterfly (57.28).
KIF swimming moves to the Kaua‘i High School pool on Saturday starting at 10 a.m.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
