By MATT GERHART Tribune-Herald sports writer ADVERTISING KAILUA-KONA — Nobody at Kona Community Aquatic Center could catch Ky Foo or Sean Domingo. Waiakea’s swimmers did the best job of staying close. The Warriors won only one race Saturday, but Adam
By MATT GERHART
Tribune-Herald sports writer
KAILUA-KONA — Nobody at Kona Community Aquatic Center could catch Ky Foo or Sean Domingo.
Waiakea’s swimmers did the best job of staying close.
The Warriors won only one race Saturday, but Adam Hill’s triumph and a whole lot of depth carried Waiakea to the Big Island Interscholastic Federation swimming championship.
Veteran Waiakea coach Bill Sakovich couldn’t ever recall winning a title with so few gold medals — but that did nothing to spoil what turned out to be a true team victory.
“As we’ve been saying all season, it’s the non-club swimmers that count,” he said. “We rely on all the kids, club swimmers are important, but depth makes the difference.”
While it was a good day for Waiakea, former Warriors swimmer Kimo Guerrero had a bit of a rough weekend.
Foo and Domingo took turns erasing his name from the BIIF record books.
Foo, a Kealakehe senior, set a BIIF mark in the 500-yard freestyle for the second consecutive day, squashing a record Guerrero set in 1980.
“Been trying to get that 500 record for a while,” Foo said. “I’d come close a few weeks ago but didn’t have it. I came here thinking about it the whole time.”
Domingo, a Hawaii Prep senior, lowered a mark in the 200 freestyle that Guerrero reached in 1981.
Foo also set a BIIF finals mark in taking the 200 individual medley, but the Waveriders had only one other swimmer score points and they finished far back in fifth.
The league titles were the first two for a swimmer who’s been working with coach Steve Borowski for 10 years.
“Extra training with coach and morning sessions have helped a lot,” Foo said. “Especially this season, we wanted to see drops, so he devised a program for us.”
The Ka Makani collected seven goal medals and finished runner-up.
Domingo, freshman Jake Anderson and junior Dane Uy helped power HPA to victory in all three relay races. Anderson out-touched Kealakehe’s Quintin Williams to win a sterling 50 free race, Uy claimed the 100 backstroke and Duncan Michael took the diving competition.
“I’m happy for Waiakea, but it was worth it and I feel good,” said Domingo, who transferred last year from Toronto. “I was only used to swimming outside in the summer, but it’s basically all the same. It would have been better if we won, but I’m still happy.”
Hilo’s Christian Kubo (100 breaststroke) and Jordan Kamimura (100 butterfly) snagged their first BIIF titles.
The top eight finishers score points — unlike the state meet where it’s only the top five — and Waiakea took full advantage, even overcoming a disqualification in the 400 freestyle relay.
Non-club swimmers Lance Mendes, Aaron Gonzalez and Jin Harbour gave Waiakea valuable points, and Campbell Causey (200 and 500 free), Ren-Kuwaye Tamanaha (200 IM), Christopher Hu (butterfly) and Brandon Rimando (breaststroke) collected runner-up finishes.
Hill, a sophomore, did them one better, winning the 100 free for his first league title.
“We were working hard all season,” he said, “so (the title) is not really a surprise. We worked for it.”
