Punahou earns another state sweep

For the third consecutive year — and 42nd time overall — Punahou swept the boys and girls team titles at the K. Mark Takai/HHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday in Kihei.

Punahou junior Sydnee Whitty played a role in four of the five medals won by the Punahou girls. Whitty won the 100 and 200 freestyle events and swam a leg on the winning 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams.

Freshman Noah Peters won three gold medals for the Punahou boys team, including one in the 100 backstroke. Peters beat teammate Sean Kwon by more than a second with a time of 51.60 seconds.

Mid-Pacific junior Michael Petrides set a state record in the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:48.73 for one of his two gold medals for the day. He broke the mark of 1:49.02 set by Maryknoll’s MJ Mao last year to help the Owls finish second in the boys race to Punahou.

MPI senior Allen Hayakawa added a win in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:43.08.

Roosevelt’s Joseph Ahia won the 50 freestyle in 21.11 seconds and the 100 butterfly in 50.26 seconds, edging Kamehameha’s Kanoa Sawai by 0.43 seconds.

Senior Rebecca Buenrostro Gallimon won the 100 backstroke in 57.17 seconds and junior Kaimilani Matsumoto was crowned champion in the 200-yard individual medley for the Baldwin girls team, which finished second to the Buffanblu. Both girls also swam on the winning 200 IM relay team.

Seabury Hall junior Jasmine O’Brien was a repeat champion in the girls 500 freestyle with a time of 4:59.70. She fell more than four seconds short of the state record she set a year ago.