By KEVIN JAKAHI
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Anu Nihipali, a 2013 Hawaii Prep graduate, is writing her name all over the Wagner College swimming books.
She was the first in her school to compete at the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, which concluded Saturday at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in North Carolina.
The sophomore Seahawk finished 54th in the 200-yard backstroke in 2 minutes, 1.43 seconds.
In the 100 back, Nihipali was 34th in 53.39, jumping five places from her No. 39 seeding.
Wagner is one of 63 Division I schools that competed. To qualify for the NCAA Championships, an individual must make an NCAA qualifying cut time, then rank in the top 39.
Nihipali clinched a spot in the championships when she clocked a 52.97 in the 100 back at the winter Nationals in December. The qualifying time ranked her No. 39 going into the NCAAs.
Last season as a freshman, she didn’t rank in the top 39, and didn’t qualify for the nationals.
Last month at the Northeast Conference championships, Nihipali won all three of her individual events, 100 back, 200 individual medley and 200 back, breaking three conference records.
As freshman, she set the school record for the 100 back in 55.87, since broken, with a first-place finish against Rutgers.
Wagner College, in Staten Island, N.Y., competes in Division I, except for football (Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA).
The private school, with an enrollment of 2,100 students, was founded in 1883, and has an endowment of $82 million.
Several other former BIIF swimmers had standout seasons as well.
• Cal State East Bay junior Rachel Shimizu, 2012 Waiakea, broke the program’s oldest record in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 17:33.51 at the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference Championships last month.
That placed her sixth in the finals, and was nearly three seconds faster than the old mark set in 1981.
Shimizu placed fifth in the 500 free in 5:03.19 and was one of two Pioneer swimmers to break the previous school record. Teammate Hannah Cutts was fourth in 5:02.82 to claim the record.
• Hawaii sophomore Madisyn Uekawa, 2013 Waiakea, swam in the 100 breaststroke in the consolation round at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships and finished 12th in 1:05.23 last month.
• Grinnell (Iowa) College sophomore Beth Tsuha, 2013 Hilo, was on the 400 freestyle relay team that set overall Midwest Conference Championship meet, pool and school records in 3:32.60 at the Pioneers pool last month.
Tsuha also placed fifth in the 100 free in 53.78.
• Western State Colorado University sophomore Akemi King, 2013 Waiakea, took ninth in the 200 butterfly in 2:11.63 at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships last month.
She was on the 800-yard relay that finished 11th in 8:02.72, and fourth on the 400 freestyle relay that clocked a 3:41.48, and fourth on the 400 medley relay in 3:59.94.
King was 11th in the 1,650 freestyle in 18:19.22, and 19th in the 1,000 free in 11:06.00, and 15th in the 400 IM in 4:51.75.
To submit a candidate for the Big Island College Report, email kjakahi@hawaiitribune-herald.com.