KAPAA — Sara Funtanilla, 13, one of three Mokihana Aquatics swimmers posting perfect records, was given the nod as Swimmer of the Meet for the meet with distance events which wrapped up Saturday at the Kapaa Pool. Mokihana Aquatics Coach
KAPAA — Sara Funtanilla, 13, one of three Mokihana Aquatics swimmers posting perfect records, was given the nod as Swimmer of the Meet for the meet with distance events which wrapped up Saturday at the Kapaa Pool.
Mokihana Aquatics Coach Orlando “O” Anaya said picking a swimmer to honor at this event was one of the hardest selections he’s had to make, and the decision was made after consulting with Coach Jeff Rahill.
Funtanilla finished the meet, which started Friday night, by posting improvements in the four events she swam in, capturing two first finishes and two second finishes. Her strongest swim came in the 1,650 freestyle where she finished first, stopping the clock at 23 minutes, 36.77 seconds, an improvement of 183.59.
Ian Raquel, 9, also posted a perfect record with improvements in the three events he swam in, the strongest showing coming in the 200 freestyle (3:11.94) where he chopped 19.49 off his seeded swim.
Tyler Tanaka, 10, was the third swimmer with a perfect meet, posting improvements in his four events. His strongest showing came in the 500 freestyle (7:55.57) where he posted a 42.77 improvement over his seeded swim.
“This has got to go down as one of our best distance meets,” Anaya said. “We did this just five weeks ago so the improvements over such a short period is amazing. There were a lot of double-digit improvements, and most noticeably, lots of good fun. That is the icing on the cake.”
Anaya said there were seven team records set and a new team record established.
Kamaira Silva, 10, was near-perfect with improvements in three of her four events, posting HI-AA time standards in the 200 freestyle (2:55.93) where she chopped 7.28 off her previous swim.
Leigh Idica, 9, also posted a HI-AA swim in the 200 freestyle (2:56.51) where she cut 11.26 off her seeded swim. Tanaka posted a HI-AA time standard in the 200 freestyle (2:58.63) with a 12.74 improvement over his seeded time.
Madeline Hoesel, 10, rounded out the HI-AA swimmers, Hoesel finishing the 500 freestyle on a 6:43.22 swim while cutting 4.05 off her previous swim.
“I am so looking forward to our Manoa qualifying time trials on April 11 and 12 at the Waimea pool,” Anaya said.
