Trojans Celebrate 7th OIA Swim Title
The Mililani boys swim team had a day to remember Feb. 2 when it delivered the program’s seventh straight OIA title. All celebrations remain on hold for the present, however, as the Trojans prepare for this week’s state swimming and diving championships, hoping the best is yet to come.
“We’re swimming at a high level right now,” said first-year boys head coach Ryan Micale, who came to Mililani after a long stint as coach at Moanalua. “Over the next few days, we’ll taper off and our times should drop even further. We were all at our best or close to our best for the OIA (finals).”
Mililani tallied 281 total points at the OIA team finals to comfortably pull ahead of the pack. Kaiser finished second with 207. The Trojans placed first in five events and were in the mix in seemingly every event.
“For us, winning the OIA championships was a matter of our total team depth,” Micale said. “We have several top-notch swimmers, but our entire roster is strong. At states, it will come down to how many guys you can bring and how many guys can score points. We’re looking forward to good times from everyone. We should have a fairly strong presence at states.”
Among Mililani’s strengths as a team is the foursome of Lindsey Dewald, Kevin Frifeldt, Kyle Yamada and Tomas Sodini, which placed first in both the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard freestyle relays at the OIA finals.
“These guys have been swimming together a few years, and they’re all really dedicated athletes. Kevin and Tomas do a significant amount of extra work with their club (Kamehameha Swim Club).”
Sodini claimed firsts in both the 50-freestyle and the 100-yard breast stroke at the OIA finals and figures to be among the favorites this week as well. Frifeldt also was a first-place finisher in the 100-yard butterfly.
The Trojans used last week to fine-tune their technique, as they were idle from competition following the OIA finals.
“This can sometimes be the hardest part of the season when it comes to practice,” Micale said. “We have to maintain a level (of intensity) because they’re still high school kids. We tone it down a little and try not to waste energy. They’re real good about doing what they need to do. We should be fresh and ready to go.”
The preliminaries are set for Friday with the finals Saturday at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex at the University of Hawaii.
The Trojans are seeking to become the first boys state swim champion from the OIA since 1988, when Kaiser took home the title. Mililani finished third overall last year behind Punahou and state champ Kamehameha-Kapalama.
