King Kekaulike Excessive Faculty junior Reese Williams and — The Maui Information / MATTHEW THAYER photograph
Maui Excessive Faculty senior Karissa Ginoza and King Kekaulike junior Reese Williams have realized loads by way of swimming, each out and in of the pool.
These classes have translated into success within the type of Maui Interscholastic League crowns and the title of Maui Interscholastic League Swimmers of the Yr, as decided by the league’s coaches.
As she closes the door on her swim profession and appears ahead to school, Ginoza mirrored on how her time as a student-athlete has ready her for the longer term.
“I feel the 2 largest issues had been undoubtedly grit and stability,” Ginoza mentioned. “The quantity that you just prepare and to drop a hundredth of a second is insane, however I undoubtedly would say that mentally, I’m loads stronger than most of my friends and simply studying the right way to stability the varsity facet with the swimming facet. … Discovering that stability and simply staying on high of every part else has undoubtedly been a problem, however I’ve grown and it’ll assist me as a university scholar and even once I enter the true world within the workforce.”
For Williams, who first began swimming at simply 5 years previous for the Maui Dolphins, the game confirmed him what it takes to succeed in his objectives.
Maui Excessive senior Karissa Ginoza (backside photograph) are this yr’s MIL Swimmers of the Yr. — The Maui Information / MATTHEW THAYER photograph
“You will be good at something you need to be good at, you simply must strive actually laborious,” he mentioned. “It undoubtedly makes me extra aggressive with, like, every part I do — not even sports activities associated. Something I do, I need to be the perfect I will be at it. I feel that comes from swimming.”
Ginoza capped her remaining highschool meet because the state runner-up within the ladies 100-yard backstroke and completed fourth within the 100 butterfly on the Okay. Mark Takai / HHSAA Swimming and Diving State Championships final month. She additionally anchored the Sabers’ 400 freestyle relay to 3rd place.
On the MIL championships 10 days prior, she left the Kihei Aquatic Heart with 4 gold medals, successful the 100 fly and 100 again in addition to main her staff to victories within the 200 medley relay and 400 free relay.
“I undoubtedly couldn’t have requested for a greater technique to have ended my season,” she mentioned. “It was undoubtedly fairly bittersweet as a result of it was a fantastic finish, , I lastly bought that Futures time I’ve been working for the previous three years, Maui Excessive Faculty did wonderful, like, each swimmer dropped time and our relays did rather well, but in addition it sort of made me look again at from a special perspective and understand what I’m abandoning since I’m not swimming in school, so it undoubtedly was superior simply to expertise that with my staff — simply the grins on everybody’s faces, nevertheless it additionally made me just a little unhappy on the within.”
Williams was the MIL champion within the boys 100 free and 100 again and was a part of Na Alii’s successful 200 medley relay staff. At states, he was a bronze medalist within the 100 free and fourth-place finisher within the 100 again.
The Maui Information 2022-23 MIL Swimming & Diving All-Stars
“I’m fairly pleased with it, there’s all the time room for enchancment and I need to get higher subsequent yr and enhance loads,” Williams mentioned. “The progress might be attributed to my coaches giving me good exercises, and my teammates and mates pushing me daily to work tougher and tougher, and coming to each follow.”
Following the state championship, Williams mentioned he didn’t take any relaxation days and was proper again within the pool getting ready for his senior season.
“I need to get first in states in as a lot occasions as I can and I need to break the MIL report within the 100 freestyle — I’m a pair seconds off of it now,” he mentioned. “It’s the perfect time of the yr as a result of it’s not simply swimming with the membership swimmers, however everyone that wishes to swim, so it’s tremendous enjoyable. Your classmates, your friends — everyone is there having enjoyable swimming. After swim meets all of us go to the seaside and it’s tremendous enjoyable.”
Williams is joined on the MIL boys first-team All-Stars listing by Maui Prep’s Noah Caiserman, Legend Storer, and Carter Bozich; Kamehameha Maui’s Ryan Clever; Lahainaluna’s Jake McGill and Maison Alexander; and Maui Excessive’s Niji Wada.
Ginoza is joined on the MIL ladies first staff by Maui Excessive teammates Aika Swanson and Charie Salacup; Maui Prep’s Sacha Salem and Yuna Lee; Seabury’s Kalla Pellettieri, Helena Colletta, and Tulip Hori; and King Kekaulike diver Lily Barrett.
Maui Prep’s Michael “Tex” Ritter, who guided Na Pueo to their first-ever sweep of the league staff titles, was chosen the MIL Coach of the Yr.
Being named MIL lady swimmer of the yr “means a lot, I’ve been swimming for the previous 12 or 13 years, so to lastly get this paramount second of MIL, it means loads,” Ginoza mentioned.
In school, the Sabers senior mentioned she can be finding out mechanical engineering and medication on the West Coast. She plans to come back again house throughout school breaks to go to her previous staff and assist coach.
“As grueling as the game was, it was all the time the folks that made it so pleasing,” she mentioned. “A few of my finest reminiscences had been from coaching journeys or simply swim meets the place we simply traveled to Oahu. … I do know that once we’re all going by way of the identical grueling set, you’ve got the identical mindset and connection that I feel I’ll miss once I transfer on.”
* Dakota Grossman is at dgrossman@mauinews.com
The Maui Information 2022-23 MIL Swimming & Diving All-Stars
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