For the second year in a row, the Pac-12 Men’s Swimming Championships are at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash.
Utah senior Jaek Horner wouldn’t want them anywhere else.
The 2019 Kamehameha alumnus set three program records at the event last year and is looking to do even more when the meet begins today and runs through Saturday.
One of three swimmers from Hawaii on the Utah men’s swimming team, Horner holds two individual program standards and is a part of three relay marks.
He lowered his records in the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the Big Al Invitational in November.
The goal now is to place in the top eight in his best event, the 100 breaststroke, at the NCAA Championships at the end of the month in Minnesota.
“This year has been pretty good. Put up all of my best times in our midseason and right now I should be pretty safe for qualifying for NCAAs, so we have that qualifying competition coming up in two weeks,” Horner said in a phone interview Monday. “Hopefully going to drop some time at this meet (the Pac-12 Championships). There’s a couple of mistakes I had recently, so just kind of clearing that up and dropping some time and then we’ll hit some full rest for the NCAAs.”
Horner was the second of three swimmers from Hawaii to join the program in consecutive years.
Fifth-year senior Noah Carlson, a 2018 Kaiser alumnus, owns the ninth-fastest time in program history in the 200 freestyle set at the 2021 Pac-12 Championships.
Junior Micah Ginoza, who graduated from Kaiser two years after Carlson, was the third swimmer to join the group.
All three knew each other swimming together in the Kamehameha Swim Club growing up.
“We’re super close. When I got here they really brought me in and showed the ropes,” Ginoza said. “When I started my college search I was reaching out to schools and both Noah and Jaek said they would reach out to the coaches at Utah and back me up. Fortunately I had good enough times to make the team.”
Ginoza joined the team during the COVID-19 pandemic, which made his transition to college more difficult.
When he first got to school, the team was not allowed to hang out together. Only one swimmer was allowed in each lane.
“It was unique,’ Ginoza said. “I had to get used to the weather and the altitude and I couldn’t interact with the team.”
Ginoza finished 20th in the 1,650 freestyle at the Pac-12 Championships last year with a time of 15:46.24. He has since dropped his best time to 15:39.87 and is hoping to shave another 10 seconds off that this week.
“Hoping to get to 15:30 in the mile (1,650),” Ginoza said.
Horner said he will use his extra year of eligibility to come back and swim next year, as well as to pursue a double major.
Even with the time commitment that swimming requires, he’s been able to enjoy all of the activities Utah has to offer that he couldn’t do back home.
“Getting to snowboard, which kind of takes the place of surfing, has been pretty cool,” Horner said. “I’ve also picked up hunting, so that’s kind of another activity that I wasn’t really exposed to back home.”
How does he squeeze those activities into his busy schedule?
“You just find time,” he said.
Ginoza’s favorite part about Utah is going out to support the other athletic teams.
“It’s really fun going to these athletic events. Basketball games are fun and the football games are amazing,” Ginoza said. “I chose Utah because it’s in the Pac-12. It’s a great place to go to school, and if I wanted to be the best then I knew I had to race the best.”
Name: Noah Carlson
Class: Senior
Events: Freestyle/Butterfly/Individual medley
High school: Kaiser (2018)
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Name: Micah Ginoza
Class: Junior
Events: Freestyle
High school: Kaiser (2020)
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Name: Jaek Horner
Class: Senior
Events: Breaststroke/Individual medley
