By MATT GERHART
By MATT GERHART
Tribune-Herald sports writer
A crane was recently brought to Kona Community Aquatic Center to install extra sets of bleachers for the Hawaii age-group short course swimming championships.
The real heavy lifting — especially for any teams going up against Kamehameha Swim Club or Jasmine Mau— starts today and runs through Sunday.
Kona Aquatic’s coach Steve Borowski jokes that if all the Big Island clubs joined forces they might be able compete for the team title against Kamehameha. As it is, the Oahu powerhouse will account for approximately 86 of the 550 swimmers in the field and is the runaway favorite to win its 23rd consecutive state title. The long course championships are held each summer, while the short course finals are routinely held in December and return to Kailua-Kona for the second time in three years.
“Nobody will come close to Kamehameha,” Borowski said. “The Big Island clubs focus on each other and do the best they can.”
Kona Aquatic Club, Hawaii Aquatic Club, Warriors Aquatic Club and Academy Swim Club each have at least one Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion in the field.
Borowski, a Hawaii Waterman Hall of Famer, has a pair of former state champions, Leahi Camacho and Cara Jernigan, both seniors at Kealakehe High School. Jernigan is the top seed in the 100 breaststroke, an event she won at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association finals last February.
“We’ve tried to get Cara to peak for big meets, and it’s worked,” Borowski said. “She’s swimming really well.”
Jernigan is also highly seeded in the 100 and 200 freestyle in ages 17-18, but she could be matched up against Mau in both of those races, and that’s a losing proposition, according Borowski. Mau, a University of California-bound senior at Punahou, has rewritten much of state age-group record books.
“She’ll win whatever event she’s in,” Borowski said. “She’s fun to watch.”
Camacho, a distance specialist who conquered the Kaiwi Channel last summer, could face Mau in the butterfly and freestyle, and she’s also scheduled to compete in the 400 individual medley and 1’650 freestyle. Borowski noted that today’s mile race is much more suited to Camacho’s strengths compared to the 500 she competes in at BIIF meets.
“With Leahi, it’s the longer the better,” he said.
Jernigan, Camacho, Anna Thomas, Chenoa Jesser and Naomi Tomlinson figure to gives Kona Aquatic points in the relays.
Warrior Aquatic Club is expected to fare well in the 17-18 relays with Cody Hamane, Ryan Bisel, Ren Kuwaye-Tamanaha and Adam Hill, and Jordan Kamimura gives the club another BIIF champion.
WAC’s Korrie Tengan enters as the top seed in four events: the 50 breaststroke and backstroke, as well as the 100 individual medley and 100 breaststroke.
Most of Jon Hayashida’s best boys swimmers at Hilo High compete for WAC, but the Hilo Aquatic Club coach has one of the premier breaststrokers in the state in Christian Kubo.
Competing for Academy Swim Club in Waimea, Jake Anderson is a two-time BIIF champion for Hawaii Prep.
Schedule
Today: Finals, 3:30 p.m.
Friday: Preliminaries/timed finals, 8:45 a.m.; finals, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday: Preliminaries/timed finals, 8:30 a.m.; finals, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday: Preliminaries/timed finals, 8:30 a.m.; finals, 1:30 p.m.