LIHU’E — The Kapa’a High School boys and girls team took their second straight KIF swim meet title as Island School hosted the second of five KIF Swim Meets Saturday at the Kaua’i High School Pool.
Warrior water ladies piled up 85 points to take their meet 22 points ahead of Waimea’s all-girl team who finished at 63 points with Kaua’i finishing at 39 points for third place, and Kula High and Intermediate rounding out the ladies with 16 points.
The Warrior men were just a point better than second place Kaua’i, Kapa’a finishing with 79 points over Kaua’i’s 78-point showing.
Kula High and Intermediate settled in third place with 29 points followed by Island School at 10 points. Waimea does not have any boy swimmers.
Kapa’a’s Jeremy Albano came close to picking up a state qualifying time in the Boys 200 Yard Free event, the state qualifying time at 1:59.05, Albano falling just short at 1:59.66, but good enough to place first in that event.
The A team from Kaua’i High School, disqualified in the 200 Yard Medley Relay in the first KIF meet, also can close to picking up their state qualifying time in their first place finish in that event, the state qualifying at 1:57.40, the team of Keenan Anaya, Nick Murray, Aaron Ramelb, and Cory Riley finishing at 1:57.61.
Anaya went on to qualify for two state events in individual swims – the first coming in the 200 Yard IM where the Red Raider second-year swimmer finished first at 2:10.93, easily making the state qualifying time of 2:17.21 while breaking his previous pool record time of 2:13.68 by almost three seconds.
Anaya also qualified for the Boys 100 Yard Back with a first finish in that event at 1:01.25, the state qualifying time at 1:03.85 while smashing his own previous pool record in that event set in 2003 at 1:02.85.
Waimea’s Katelyn Umetsu and Tiffani Tumbaga also made strong showings, both swimmers part of the Menehune ‘A’ team that captured first place in the 200 Yard Medley Relay with a 2:11.29 showing, but falling shy of state qualifying time.
Umetsu went on to tke first finishes in the Girls 100 Yard Fly event at 1:11.50 and the Girls 500 Yard Free event at 6:20.26.
Tumbaga, a junior, topped the Girls 100 Yard Back, pacing the field at 1:20.84, and the Girls 100 Yard Free where she finished at 1:05.13.
Kapa’a’s Liana Nakazawa toped the Girls 200 Yard IM at 2:43.26, almost three seconds ahead of second place Torrey Ikeda of Kaua’i High, but fell shy of the state qualifying in that event, the state time being 2:27.17.
Nakazawa was bested by Umetsu in the Girls 100 Fly event.
The third of the KIF Qualifying Meets moves back to the 10 a.m. start time this Saturday, Jan. 31 at the Kaua’i High School pool where fans can expect another battle in the boys competition between Kaua’i and the two-time winner Kapa’a boys.
