Maui High School’s Aika Swanson posts the fastest qualifying time in the girls 200-yard freestyle Friday during preliminaries of the state championships at Kihei Aquatic Center. — The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
KIHEI — Noah Caiserman and Aika Swanson both smiled when they were asked Friday about what the mission is today.
It’s simple: State titles.
Caiserman, a Maui Preparatory Academy junior, motored to the top qualifying time in the boys 100-yard butterfly at the K. Mark Takai/HHSAA state swimming and diving championships at the Kihei Aquatic Center.
Swanson, a Maui High sophomore, was the top qualifier in the girls 200 freestyle in 1:53.88.
Caiserman’s 49.48-second time on Friday is nearly a second in front of Kamehameha Kapalama’s Connor Seminavage (50.40) in the 100 butterfly. Caiserman’s previous lifetime best in the event was 51.22.
Maui Prep’s Noah Caiserman swims the backstroke leg in a boys 200 IM qualifying heat Friday. Caiserman qualified second in the 200 IM and first in the 100 butterfly. — The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
“I wouldn’t say I was surprised, I was happy, but I was expecting to go below 50,” Caiserman said.
When asked if he will have to go faster today to win the state title in the finals, he said “yeah, for sure. It’ll take 48. I’m just trying to do little baby steps, just trying to take it, like, super small steps. Not really trying to go into it cocky or anything, just super humble and just try to do my best. I’m ready.”
In the final event of the night, Caiserman swam a blazing 46.61 anchor leg in the 400 free relay to lead his teammates Legend Storer, Noah Richard and Carter Bozich to the third-best qualifying time of 3:14.81.
Caiserman — who has Notre Dame, North Carolina and Arizona State on his college wish list — also qualified second in the 200 individual medley in 1:56.15, 0.3 seconds behind Brandon Lin of Kauai.
His butterfly time is a qualifier for the USA Swimming Futures Championships, but it was the final relay where his sights were most firmly set.
Maui Prep’s Legend Storer blasts off the blocks in the final boys 50 free qualifying heat of the day at Kihei Aquatic Center Friday afternoon. — The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
“Honestly, I’d rather win the 4-free relay just because I can do it with my friends and my teammates that I’ve been swimming with however x-many years,” Caiserman said. “But, yeah, if I were to win the 100 fly tomorrow, I’d be ecstatic.”
Like Caiserman among Maui Interscholastic League boys, Swanson was the only No. 1 qualifier among MIL girls swimmers.
“I was nervous, you know, but I just wanted to make finals and just have fun and try my best at this meet,” Swanson said. “I’m mainly looking forward to the 200 freestyle because it’ll be a good race, so I think all of (the top) three will use each other to push forward and compete.”
Swanson also cruised into the final in the 500 free, making the eight-swimmer final with the fourth-best qualifying time (5:13.45), one spot behind Maui Prep’s Sacha Salem (5:09.38).
“In the 500, I was just trying to win my heat, so, tomorrow should be an exciting race,” Swanson said.
Maui Prep’s Sasha Salem swims the butterfly leg during her girls 200 IM heat Friday. Salem had the second-fastest qualifying time in the 200 IM and the third-fastest in the 500 free. — The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
She will not be worried too much about times today.
“Mainly, just win,” she said.
The lone Lahainaluna boys swimmer at the meet, junior Jake McGill, swam a lifetime best 21.28 in the boys 50 free to qualify second, just 0.02 seconds behind the top time of Iolani’s Finn Arrillaga.
“Super psyched,” McGill said. “Yes, I did surprise myself a bit.”
McGill lives in Kahana, attends school at Lahaina, and works out five days a week in Kihei with the Lahaina Swim Club coaches, led by veteran youth coach Tom Popdan. McGill also made the final of the 100 butterfly, qualifying seventh in 52.87.
Maui High’s L.J. Almiron competes in a boys 200 IM qualifying heat Friday. Almiron just missed the top 8, placing 10th. — The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
“It was a lot of hard work and preparation for this meet,” McGill said. “Then to finally pull it all together makes all the work worth it.”
Other MIL qualifiers for today’s finals include: the MPA girls 200 medley relay, which was seventh in 1:55.22; the MPA boys 200 medley relay (fifth in 1:38.93); Salem (in addition to the 500 free, she was second in the girls 200 IM in 2:10.47); Storer (third in boys 50 free, 21.45, and third in 100 breaststroke, 58.52); Seabury Hall’s Tulip Hori (eighth in girls 100 butterfly, 1:01.03); Maui Prep’s Bozich (eighth in 100 free, 48.95); King Kekaulike’s Xander Hurst (second in boys 500 free, 4:45.99, and fifth in 200 free, 1:45.52); MPA’s Halia Caiserman (sixth in girls 100 breaststroke, 1:10.55); and the MPA girls 400 free relay (seventh, 3:50.03) .
In 1-meter diving, King Kekaulike senior Lily Barrett is the top qualifier among girls (199.90 points) and Baldwin freshman Kieran Harper is seeded fourth among boys (148.70).
* Robert Collias is at
Maui Prep’s Carter Bozich launches at the start of the boys 200 medley relay Friday. Na Pueo qualified fifth. — The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
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