Swimming

The seniors on the Roosevelt boys swim team went out with a bang. Of the 18 gold medals up for grabs at the OIA Swimming and Diving championships on Saturday, the Rough Riders won 16 of them to run away from the team title. Joseph Ahia led the way with three gold medals and league records in each. He was joined by fellow seniors Jun Yueb Yoon (four golds), Jonathan Oba (four), Alex Croll (two), Shawn Saffery (one) and Jacob […]

The Kaiser swimming dynasty rolls on. The Cougars girls team won its eighth straight OIA championship on Saturday, getting what their coach called a total team effort. Mari Yasumi and Jill Chaffee were the only Kaiser girls to win individual golds, the same number they had in last year’s victory. This edition of Cougars don’t have a dominator like Corrine Shigeta or Kira Fox, just a group of girls who squeeze every point out of their bodies. Here is a […]

A trio of Punahou swimmers doubled up at the ILH trials at Punahou on Friday night, paving the way for another league title. Maddie Balish qualified first in the 200 freestyle to beat fellow state champions Cagla Brennan of Iolani and Pac-Five’s Le Grand Pound then came in first in the 100 breaststroke. Balish holds the ILH championship record in that event. Fellow Buffanblu state champion Lia Foster was first in the 200 IM and 100 back stroke. She holds […]

Kalani swimmer Dongjin Hwang has a state gold medal to defend, but first he has another little bit of history to tackle. Hwang, the reigning state champion in the 500 freestyle and the only OIA boy to win a state event last year, is expected to jump into the pool for the OIA championships at Central Oahu Regional Park looking to add to his impressive haul. Hwang has earned eight gold medals in the league championship over the years, grabbing […]

LeGrand Pound of Sacred Hearts is getting her speed back. Pound, a junior with four state swimming golds to her credit, beat some fellow state champions in the ILH’s meet at ‘Iolani on Friday. Pound started with a win over ‘Iolani’s Cagla Brennan and Punahou’s Maddie Balish in the 200 freestyle, swimming the distance in 1:57.25. Brennan, a senior, had a 1:58.74 and Balish went 2:02.03. Brennan is the reigning state champ in the 500 free and Balish has collected […]

Punahou senior Lia Foster had a hand in three wins at Friday’s ILH swim meet at her home pool. Foster began her day leading the Buffanblu to first place in the 200 medley relay, an event she has helped Punahou win at states the last three years. She has eight gold medals at states in all. She joined with fellow senior Madison Meister, freshman Tori Gacutan and sophomore Daralyn Wen to cover the distance in 1:52.63 to beat Kamehameha by […]

The HHSAA is renaming its swimming and diving championships after late congressman K. Mark Takai. The 1985 Hall of Honor inductee won the gold medal in the 100 freestyle in 1984 and was just the second boy to crack 48 seconds with his 47.9 clocking. He also won the 100 breaststroke that year with a time of 57.72 and defended his title the next year with a 59.98 effort. He was the first swimmer inducted into the Hall of Honor, […]