PUHI — Swim Kauai Aquatics athletes combined for 90 new personal best times at their home meet Saturday at the YMCA pool facility in Puhi. Bryson Baligad, 16, posted a perfect meet, improving in all five events and clinched three
PUHI — Swim Kauai Aquatics athletes combined for 90 new personal best times at their home meet Saturday at the YMCA pool facility in Puhi.
Bryson Baligad, 16, posted a perfect meet, improving in all five events and clinched three new state cuts in the 200 yard backstroke (2:16.76), 100 yard breaststroke (1:10.24), and 100 yard freestyle (52.84). Zoe McGinnis, who recently celebrated her 14th birthday, garnered three new AA cuts in the 50 yard freestyle (29.61), 500 yard freestyle (6:19.76), and 200 yard individual medley (2:43.68).
Hayley Jay Ka’eo,10, Jack Machorek, 13, and James Pratt, 11, pocketed new state times this weekend. Ka’eo found gold in the 200 yard freestyle and stopped the clocks at 2:39.05, an improvement of 14.67 seconds. She also achieved personal best times in the 50 and 100 yard freestyle events and the 100 yard butterfly. Machorek secured his QUAL cut in the 50 yard freestyle and touched the wall in 25.27. He also improved his seed time in his 200 yard freestyle event. Pratt’s QUAL time in the 100 yard breaststroke came at 1:27.52, nearly 5 seconds faster than his seeded time.
Saber Fairbanks picked up a new AA cut in the 50 yard freestyle with a time of 25.93. He also posted a personal best in the 100 yard freestyle. Asha McGinnis, 11, raced the 200 yard breaststroke for the first time Saturday and walked away with a AA cut for her effort, coming in at 3:25.00. Slicing over 27 seconds off of his seed time in the 500 yard freestyle was Henry Scherer, 13, who obtained an AA cut with his time of 6:10.02. He also earned a personal best time in the 100 yard backstroke event.
Bringing home a new A cut was Hoku Hudson, 11, for his time of 1:45.49 in the 100 yard breaststroke. Mao Fukada, 12, earned her new A time in the 200 yard individual medley for the first time (3:03.05). Mao also swam personal bests in the 100 yard breaststroke and the 50 and 500 yard freestyle events. Competing in the 500 yard freestyle event for the first time was Olivia Lutkevich, 11, and Sadie Stearns, 11. Sadie achieved an A cut, coming in at 7:26.53, and Lutkevich achieved a B cut with her time of 8:06.38. Stearns gained three additional personal best times in her 50 and 100 yard breastroke events and the 100 yard individual medley.
Swimmers attaining personal bests in four individual events were Denise Koors, 9, and Lucas McSweeny, 9. Athletes who clinched personal bests in three events were Daisy Asai, 9, Kiana Kaaihue, 8, Olivia McSweeny, 11, Abigail Polzin, 11, Julia Safford, 11, and Hawaiian swimming state champion Akira Williams, 12, who earned a new Hawaiian Senior Championship cut for his time of 52.58 in the 100 yard freestyle.
