Ace Cayabyab, 4, and Clara Christensen, 11, got their first taste of swimming in a meet format Sunday during the Swim Kauai Aquatics’ final home meet before heading to the upcoming Hawaiian Swimming State Championships on Oahu next month. SKA
Ace Cayabyab, 4, and Clara Christensen, 11, got their first taste of swimming in a meet format Sunday during the Swim Kauai Aquatics’ final home meet before heading to the upcoming Hawaiian Swimming State Championships on Oahu next month.
SKA swimmers combined for 83 new personal best times, including five new state QUAL time standards, aided by the competition from visiting swimmers from California and Louisiana.
Hayley Kaeo, 12, picked up a new state time standard in the 200-yard individual medley, taking seven seconds off her previous best time when she touched the wall at 2 minutes, 34.04 seconds at the YMCA pool in Puhi. Kaeo finished with a perfect meet, improving in all four of the events she swam.
Lucas McSweeny, 10, marked a QUAL time standard in the 50-yard backstroke (40.03), and Kai Norman, 11, pocketed a state time standard in the 500-yard freestyle (6:16.62) where he posted a nine-second improvement in the swim.
Xaveria Rodriguez, 13, clinched a QUAL time standard on her 50-yard freestyle (26.62) where she chopped nearly a second off her previous best time.
Malia Splittstoesser, 12, rounded out the state qualifiers with a QUAL time in the 200-yard backstroke, where she touched at 2:40.70.
“T” Koerte, 8, picked up his first AA time spot in the 50-yard backstroke (43.36). He went on to pocket A time standards in the 50-, 100-, and 200-yard freestyle events.
Kassy McCoy, 11, grabbed a AA time standard in her 50-yard butterfly (34.22).
Other SKA swimmers earning A time standards saw Evah Cline, 10, pocket A swims in the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke along with her personal best swims in the 100 yard backstroke and the 50- and 200-yard freestyle events. Micah McCoy, 8, got his A time in the 50 yard freestyle (39.19).
Kiana Kaaihue, 9, and Ella Marcil, 13, pocketed A time standards in the 200-yard freestyle, Kaaihue stopping the clock at 3:08.24 and Marcil touching at 2:34.77. Colt McCoy, 7, rounded out the A swims with a 39.19 swim in the 50-yard freestyle.
Kate Machorek, graduating from Kauai High School and heading to West Point, bid farewell to the SKA facility with her final swim, Saturday before heading to basic training at West Point before school starts in August.
Bryson Baligad, graduating from Kapaa High School, will be participating at the upcoming state championship meet before winging 0ff to Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.
SKA also bid farewell to Denise Koors, 10, who splashed the water for the final time before moving to the mainland in July.
