Eighteen swimmers from Hawaii representing eight different colleges will converge at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center in Federal Way, Wash., for the 2017 Northwest Conference Championship running Friday through Sunday.
Some of Hawaii’s finest
A list of the 18 swimmers from Hawaii competing in this weekends Northwest Conference Championships:
LEWIS & CLARK PIONEERS
Women: Kassie Kometani, Sophomore, Kohala 15
LINFIELD (ORE.) WILDCATS
Men: Christopher Hu, Senior, Waiakea 12
Women: Stacie Cuadro, Senior, Baldwin 13
PACIFIC (ORE.) BOXERS
Men: Aukai Kea, Sophomore, Kamehameha 15; Michael Sakai, Junior, Kalani 14
Women: Maya Okamura, Sophomore, Seabury Hall 14
PACIFIC LUTHERAN LUTES
Men: Bryson Baligad, Sophomore, Kapaa 15; Kekoa Vieira, Freshman, Punahou 16
Women: Luna Kim, Sophomore, Kaiser 15
PUGET SOUND LOGGERS
Men: Evan Hamamoto, Senior, Iolani 13
Women: Melisa Kegans, Junior, Iolani 14
WHITMAN (WASH.) MISSIONARIES
Men: Sean Terada, Senior, Kamehameha 13
Women: Jessica Luong, Freshman, Moanalua 16
WHITWORTH (WASH.) PIRATES
Men: Taylor Lee, Sophomore, KS-Maui
WILLAMETTE (ORE.) BEARCATS
Men: Jason Bayang, Senior, Hoala 13; Mykah Fujiwara, Sophomore, Punahou 15; Andrew Lum, Freshman, Punahou 12
Women: Ashlyn Witherwax, Junior, Punahou 14
Whitworth (Wash.) sophomore Taylor Lee (Kamehameha-Maui ’15) competes in the medley and freestyle relays for the Pirates, who will go for their 14th conference championship in the last 15 years.
On the women’s side, Pacific Lutheran will attempt to win its fourth conference crown in a row, with Kaiser alumna Luna Kim a key contributor for the Lutes.
The sophomore backstroke and individual medley swimmer holds Pacific Lutheran’s top times in the 50 backstroke (28.12 seconds), 100 back (100.15) and 200 back (2:13.37) this season.
Luna won both the 100 and 200 events 11 days ago in a victory over Puget Sound to help Pacific Lutheran finish undefeated in the NWC dual-meet slate for the third consecutive season.
Lewis & Clark sophomore Kassie Kometani, a 2015 alumna of Kohala on the Big Island, is ranked second in the conference in both the 50 and 100 freestyles.
Kometani made the All-NWC first team as a freshman in the 50 freestyle and had a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay event at last year’s NWC Championships.
She owns the school’s second-fastest time in both the 50 free (24.25 seconds) and 200 free (1:57.42) and third-fastest time in the 100 free (53.37).
She also will compete in the 800 freestyle relay — the Pioneers own the fastest time of the season in conference and are ranked No. 21 in the country in Division III.
The only team on the men’s side to interrupt Whitworth’s string of championships is Whitman (Wash.), which is led by senior Sean Terada.
Terada, a 2013 alumnus of Kamehameha, enters the meet third in the conference in both the 100 butterfly and 200 butterfly. He also is part of the 200 freestyle relay team that leads the conference.
Terada was an NCAA national qualifier in 2015 and has made at least one All-NWC first team in each of the past two years.
His top times are 50.75 seconds in the 100 butterfly and 1:51.69 in the 200 butterfly, which are both second-fastest in school history, and 1:54.11 in the 200 individual medley, which is a school record.
He also swam on the 400 freestyle and 800 freestyle relay teams that hold the school’s fastest times.
