Hall pass: Kanoa Kaleoaloha

This might be the golden age of high school swimming.

Kanoa Kaleoaloha will be the fifth swimmer in the last three years inducted into the Enterprise / HHSAA Hall of Honor at Dole Cannery Square’s Pomaikai Ballroom on June 7.

He will be inducted with Mid-Pacific’s Lena Hayakawa, the second straight year multiple swimmers have been inducted. Last year, Kamehameha teammate Ryan Stack and Punahou’s Jasmine Mau joined the elite club.

Kaleoaloha was Stack’s running mate the last three years, but exceeded his former captain’s accomplishments as a senior. He won his 10th individual state gold with three in the latest state championships including two meet records.

Stack won nine golds over his career and Kaleoaloha passed him in his final relay when Kamehameha beat Punahou by virtue of the Buffanblu being caught leaving the blocks early.

Of the seven swimmers to win more than nine gold medals in their state careers since 1998, only Kalaeoaloha and ‘Iolani’s Hong Zhe Sun were inducted in the Hall of Honor. Kacy Johnson, Mark Eckert, Cheyne Bloch, Nick Borreca and Caleb Rowe all fell short.

Since 2012, 16 of the 24 state meet records have fallen, mostly thanks to the five Hall of Honor recipients and Campbell blazer Makoa Alvarez.

So joining the elite club comes down to something more than winning races, and whatever it is Kaleoaloha certainly has it.

He started his winning haul as a freshman for Kamehameha, finishing seventh in his two individual races at states but contributing to two relay wins to give the Warriors their first team title in five years.

He remained a team player as a sophomore, finishing fifth in his only individual race but helping three relay teams to golds including two meet records. He was the only underclassman on any of those teams.

He cracked his first individual gold medal as a junior, winning the 100 freestyle after finishing second in the 50 free. He helped the stacked Warriors to a win in the 200 medley relay and was part of the team that finished second in the 400 free relay.

With Stack gone to college, Kaleoaloha needed to step up as a senior leader and did so, breaking the state meet records in the 50 free and 100 free before jumping back into the pool to contribute to a gold medal for the 400-yard free relay in his last event in high school. The Warriors finished second in the 200 free relay, capping either a gold or silver finish in Kaleoaloha’s last 11 trips into the water at the state meet.

During that time, he also excelled as a paddler and water polo player.

Kaleoaloha will swim for Florida State next year, where he will pursue his degree in family and sports medicine. He was on the Honor Roll and President’s List at Kamehameha all four years.

Swimmers in the Hall of Honor:
1985 K. Mark Takai M Pearl City
1986 Matthew Cerizo M St. Anthony
1988 Nadine Takai F Pearl City
1995 Jodi Jackson F Punahou
1996 Keiko Price F Mililani
2002 Tiana Lum-Tucker F Kauai
2002 Ashley Swart F Kaiser
2003 Hongzhe Sun M Iolani
2004 Tamarah Binek F Waiakea
2008 Michelle Yoshida F Punahou
2009 Christel Simms F Punahou
2011 Kailea Tracy-Visintainer F Seabury Hall
2013 Renny Richmond M Seabury Hall
2014 Jasmine Mau F Punahou
2014 Ryan Stack M Kamehameha
2015 Lena Hayakawa F Mid-Pacific
2015 Kanoa Kaleoaloha M Kamehameha

Hall of Honor Members