KIF swimmers make waves
A smaller field of Kauai Interscholastic Federation pushed four KIF record-paced swims and picked up 12 state qualifying swims, Saturday at the KIF qualifying swim meet hosted by Island School at the YMCA pool.
KIF officials said the meet was delayed by two hours with the start time re-adjusted to noon because of the traffic accident followed by the missile alert incident. The day’s swim also lost 25 swimmers due to the day’s events, the field of 81 swimmers dropping to just 56 swimmers.
Those swimmers made the best of the situation, setting new KIF record standards in four events — the Boys 200 Medley Relay, the Boys 200 Individual Medley, the Boys 100 freestyle, and the Boys 400 freestyle relay.
Additionally, individual swimmers piled up nine individual state qualifying swim standards led by Kauai High School’s Akira Williams who broke the KIF record pace in the Boys 100 freestyle on a swim that stopped the clock at 47.35 seconds, breaking the record pace of 48.19 set by Machorek in 2017. Williams also picked up a state qualifying standard in the 100 butterfly (56.33), and was part of the Boys 200 Medley Relay (1:43.26) along with teammates Zachary Safford, Jack Machorek, and Dutch Fairbanks, and the Boys 400 freestyle relay (3:20.06), including teammates Zachary Safford, Luke Roberts, and Machorek, that set new KIF record standards.
Kauai High School senior Machorek continues to make waves, finishing the day as part of the Boys 200 Medley Relay and the Boys 400 freestyle relay teams. He also picked up two state qualifying standards, including one in the 100 backstroke where he touched the wall at 56.43, bettering the 56.81 time he posted earlier in the season. His new qualifying standard came in the 200 IM where he touched at 1:55.78 to set a new KIF record pace over the 1:58.97 he set for the event in 2017.
Henry Scherer of Island School picked up a pair of state qualifying standards — 200 yard freestyle (1:55.84) and 500 yard freestyle (5:19.40).
On the girls’ side of the pool, Kauai High School freshman Hayley Kaeo bettered her 50 freestyle (25.99) state qualifying time from the 26.11 set previously in the season.
Kapaa High School sophomore Maddie Hoesel added another state qualifying swim by taking a 2:05.03 time in the 200 yard freestyle.
The Kapaa High School girls 200 yard freestyle relay team, including Hoesel, Lani Alo, Lily Stokes, and Chloe Zumwalt, rounded out the state qualifying times with its 1:52.08 performance.