Swim Kauai Aquatics hosted the “Think Pink” fundraiser for celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness month on Oct. 18, then sent 23 athletes to Oahu for the annual Bill Smith Invite on Oct. 25-26. Over 50 swimmers entered the Swim Kauai home
Swim Kauai Aquatics hosted the “Think Pink” fundraiser for celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness month on Oct. 18, then sent 23 athletes to Oahu for the annual Bill Smith Invite on Oct. 25-26.
Over 50 swimmers entered the Swim Kauai home meet. Through a charitable fund, each swimmer who achieved a new best time were credited with a $25 donation to The National Breast Cancer Foundation. There were 94 best times achieved and the athletes raised $2,350 for breast cancer research.
Ten-year-old Daisy Asai improved her times in all five events and raised $125 as the top dollar winner for the team. Alana Cayabyab, Dutch Fairbanks, Asa Hendrickson, Jack Machorek, Kaylee Russell, Zach Safford, and Akira Williams all posted four new best times to tie for second. Akira, 13, also posted a new Zone standard in the 100 freestyle (51.05) and edged Bryson Baligad, 16, who posted a personal best (51.11).
Lucas McSweeny hit on three new Hawaiian age group time standards and qualified for the state meet in the 100 individual medley for the 10-and-under group. Mao Fukada, 12, also topped three new time standards and qualified to attend the state meet in Maui on Dec. 19-22 in the 200 breaststroke.
Athletes posting new AA time standards were Sam Britzmann, 15, in the 200 breaststroke; Asa Hendrickson, 15, in the 100 breaststroke; Hayley Kaeo, 11, in the 100 breaststroke and Asha McGinnis in the 200 breaststroke.
Brothers Bradley and James Pratt hit on AA cuts in the 100 freestyle and 100 individual medley respectively. Kawehi Tamishiro, 14, accomplished a new A time cut as did Sadie Stearns, 11, in two events.
One week later, SKA sent 23 swimmers to the annual Bill Smith Invitational on Oahu to compete against 17 teams. Led by Yasmine Ware, Swim Kauai Aquatics came home with the seventh-place trophy. Ware competed in the women’s division and finished second, winning the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke and 200 individual medley. Ware finished second in all her other events.
On the men’s side, Akira Williams accumulated 22 points for SKA in the boys 13-14 age group. Williams best finish was third in the 100 freestyle (51.24). Also competing was sprinter Jackson Evans, who nipped Akira for fifth place in the 50 freestyle (24.41). Evans also got fifth in the 100 backstroke. Williams was sixth overall and Evans 15th in 13-14 division.
Kaira Kaaihue, 14, earned fifth place in the 200 individual medley and a sixth in the 50 freestyle (26.66) in the women’s 13-14 division. Lucas McSweeny, 9, scored his first points in a statewide invitational event, grabbing fifth place in the 10-and-under 200 freestyle in (2:41:55).
SKA’s next event is the Mokihana meet in Waimea Nov. 8 and 9.
