3 SSC members shine in Hawaii meet

David Boyer, seen here racing in a local tournament, and seven other Saipan Swim Club swimmers are in Hawaii for a series of competitions.
(Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Saipan Swim Club’s Kento Akimaru, Christian Villacrusis, and David Boyer had notable performances in the 2017 HI BIS Age Group Swim Meet as they combined for 10 first place finishes in the tournament held at the Kawamoto Pool in Hilo, Hawaii late last month.

Akimaru was ranked first in all six events he joined in, while Villacrusis and Boyer each topped two races in the meet that took place last June 24 and 25 and featured seven swim clubs in the Big Island. The 16-year-old Kento Akimaru debuted in the annual meet via the men’s 15 to 16’s 100m freestyle event and clocked in at 58.12 seconds to prevail against six other swimmers. He was the lone entry in the two-lap race to break the one-minute barrier as runner-up Bodhi Whitmore of Hilo Aquatics could only post 1:01.97.

Next up for Akimaru was the 100m butterfly event and he submitted 1:04.94 to beat Kona Aquatics’ Weylin Foo (1:06.46) and Silas Wiley (1:09.85). For his third race, the 800m freestyle event, Akimaru logged 9:21.89 to top the 9:33.25 and 10:39.95 of Academy Swim Club’s Jacob Schnitzler and Hilo Aquatics’ Matthew Icari, respectively. The SSC swimmer also did the 400m freestyle event and this time his 4:25.85 defeated the times of three other swimmers. Akimaru finished the eight-lap course about six seconds ahead of his closest pursuer—Schnitzler (4:31.47)

The veteran SSC member swam in another 100m butterfly race and had a faster time at 1:02.68, which landed him at the No. 1 spot anew, ahead of Hilo Aquatics’ Kamren Flores (1:08.84) and Icari (1:10.98). For his final event—the lung-busting 1,500m—Akimaru saved the best for last as he set a new personal best time after recording 17:44.77.

Meanwhile, Boyer was the first SSC swimmer to plunge into the pool during last month’s meet and he finished second in the men’s 17 to 18’s 200m butterfly after registering 2:38.31. Boyer also competed in the 100m butterfly event twice with his time (1:07.11) in the second race giving him the victory over Kona’s Ryan Cohen (1:07.39) and Hawaii Island Swim Club’s Felix Peng (1:07.79). In his first 100m swim, Boyer timed in at 1:07.16 for a runner-up finish behind Hilo Aquatics’ Daniel Kimura (1:06.36).

The 17-year-old Boyer also won the 50m freestyle (28.49 seconds), while he placed third in another 200m freestyle race with a better time of 2:25.18.

Villacrusis was entered in the same 50m freestyle event and prevailed in his group after touching the wall at the 26.52 second-mark. Villacrusis defeated Peng (27.11 seconds) and ASC’s Asher Robertson (27.75 seconds). He also topped the 100m breaststroke after timing in at 1:17.85, while he was ranked third in the 200m individual medley (2:35.64) and 200m freestyle (2:22.68).

VIllacrusis, Boyer, and Akimaru are still in Hawaii and were reunited with fellow SSC members Lennosuke and Jinnosuke Suzuki, Taiyo Akimaru, and Jinie and Jinju Thompson and coach Jacoby Winkfield. They competed in the 69th Keo Nakama Invitational Swim Meet held over the weekend in Oahu and will also join the July 8 Jaco Chun’s to Waimea Swim—the third race in the Surf ’N Sea North Shore Swim Series and features a 1.6-mile course.