Event after event, it was almost always someone else ascending to the top spot of the podium at the Central Oahu Regional Park aquatics complex. Yet Punahou still found a way to stand tallest at the finish.
“Just happy with the way our girls battled through it,” coach Jeff Meister said of Saturday’s stiff competition in the HHSAA/K. Mark Takai Swimming and Diving Championships. “They were scared and they battled tough. And they had good reason to be.”
Kaiser won the first race of the day, the 200 medley relay, as well as the 400 free relay to end it — and even had a double individual winner in between with sophomore Sophia Carlson — but the Buffanblu’s depth won out for the team title, 46 points to the Cougars’ 36 and Kamehameha’s 32. It was the 52nd championship for Punahou in 62 years of official state competition, and fourth in a row.
“Punahou’s always the team to beat, no matter how many times people say, ‘Oh, you can beat ’em, you can beat ’em,’ when the time comes down, they’re tough. They’re tough,” Kaiser coach Asa Tanaka said. “If the stars lined up, if the swim gods … gave us the best possible race, we would’ve had a chance. But you get what you get.”
Noted Meister of the Cougars: “Very good, amazing. They got hurt a little bit with a couple of DQs yesterday (in heat qualification). But man, they came back great today. I’m very impressed, very impressed.”
Emma Ng Pack got the Buffanblu off to a good start, repeating as state diving champ with a winning score of 408.70. The junior adhered to her ritual of “every time I step up on the board, I take a deep breath, and then I just relax.”
Carlson claimed the 50 free (23.84) and 100 free (51.53).
“I just keep finding new motivations every day,” said Carlson, who also swam on both winning relay teams. “Just realize how fun (it is), and the special connections I make within the sport. It’s the reason why I can keep swimming, because it makes it so much fun and I’m not just in it for myself and my happiness but for everyone else today.”
Another up-and-comer to watch is University High’s Grace Monahan, who went 2-for-2 in her events as a freshman, the 200 individual medley (2:02.42)and the 100 butterfly (53.79).
“I had pretty high expectations for myself,” Monahan said. “(From here) it’s definitely improving my times and my races, technical-wise. Not necessarily getting first every single time.”
