The final qualifying round before the championships on Saturday saw swimmers brake three KIF records, collect five state auto qualifying swims and pile up 18 consideration swim standards. Bryson Baligad, a Kapaa High senior, led the boys by securing state
The final qualifying round before the championships on Saturday saw swimmers brake three KIF records, collect five state auto qualifying swims and pile up 18 consideration swim standards.
Bryson Baligad, a Kapaa High senior, led the boys by securing state swims in all four events. He claimed auto swim in the 100 yard freestyle. He touched the wall at 49.14 seconds and broke a 29-year-old record of 49.96 set by Cory Carroll in 1986.
Baligad also pocketed three consideration swims in his performance, which earned three first-place and a second-place finish. His consideration swims came in the 200 yard freestyle (1:53.00), the 100 yard backstroke (58.77) and the opening leg of the boys 400 freestyle relay (3:52.48).
Kauai High School senior Yasmine Ware also set a KIF record in the 100 yard breaststroke with a swim of 1:06.95, bettering the KIF record she set in 2012 of 1:08.68. The swim earned her a state auto standard. She added another auto standard in the 100 yard freestyle, touching the wall at 55.28, faster than the record set in 2011 by Kapaa swimmer Anya Littlefield.
Ware rounded out her day with consideration swims in the 200 yard freestyle (2:03.08), and two relays, the girls 200 medley relay (2:05.27) and the girls 200 freestyle relay (1:50-.04).
The Kauai High School brother-sister duo of Jack and Kate Machorek rounded out the leaders with both swimmers earning state swims in respective events.
Jack Machorek, a freshman, finished with consideration swims in all of his five events. His strongest individual performance came in the 200 yard freestyle (1:53.97) where he sliced nearly 4 seconds from his previous swim. He also posted consideration swims in the 500 yard freestyle (5:07.72), the boys 200 medley relay (1:54.90), the boys 200 freestyle relay (1:40.37) and the boys 400 freestyle relay (3:39.14).
Kate Machorek, a senior, also posted state swims in the four events she swam in, earning auto swims in the 200 yard freestyle (1:58.73) where she bettered her previous 1:59.34 showing, and the 500 yard freestyle, where she touched the wall at 5:17.34, an improvement over her previous 5:18.82 time.
Kate added consideration swims in the girls 200 freestyle relay (1:50.04) and the girls 400 free relay (4:12.50).
The KIF Swim Championships take place 10 a.m. Saturday at the YMCA Pool.
