While the Punahou boys and Kamehameha girls were familiar names at the top of their divisions, the Seabury Hall mixed team won its first state title at Keehi Lagoon on Saturday.
With a time of 3:46.96, the Spartans squeaked past Kamehameha (3:48.25) and Punahou (3:51.10). .
“Our school is really small, we only have 300 students in the whole school. So for us to compete with the Punahous and the Kapalamas makes me really proud of our kids and how far they have come and all the training they’ve done. They really worked hard for this,” Seabury Hall coach Paul Lu‘uwai said.
The Seabury Hall victory in the mixed division spoiled the hopes of Punahou and senior stroker Ethan Lewis.
Had the Buffanblu been victorious in the mixed division, it would have been his fifth gold medal, tying him with Kamehameha’s Tyler Meditz for the most of all time since 2002.
Lewis, however, wasn’t too upset. Earlier in the day, the Buffanblu won the boys division for the second year in a row. It was the first time in school history that the Punahou boys won the ILH and state championship in the same year.
“I loved racing mixed. It’s so fun racing with the girls, it’s a totally different experience,” Lewis said. “I always want to come out on top, but I think both felt great, the race was fun and that’s the most important thing. It was great.”
Sharing those sentiments was Punahou boys and mixed coach Rocky Higgins, who insisted afterward that the mixed-division loss didn’t take away from the boys win.
With a final time of 3:31.81, the Punahou boys edged Seabury Hall, which posted a final time of 3:32.40.
The winning time for the Buffanblu was the second-fastest time in 15 years of the regatta, as well as the fastest time at Keehi Lagoon.
“These guys have really worked hard all season long. With as much as they have on their plate with the school carnival, they just had enough in the tank to put it together” Higgins said. “Seabury was just tougher than nails. … It’s a testament to how strong Seabury is.”
The Kamehameha girls posted the widest margin of victory in the finals out of all the divisions. Its final time of 4:00.23 beat second-place Punahou, which came in at 4:04.63.
The Warriors recorded the fastest recorded time in 15 years of the regatta, beating Pac-Five’s time of 4:01.93 in 2012 at Hilo Bay. It was also their eighth title in that time period.
“They have this X factor, a closeness and bond, they put each other first and the winning just becomes the byproduct,” said Warriors girls and mixed coach Kehau Meyer. “They really work hard together, they keep each other accountable, and whatever happens is a result of their dedication towards each other.”
