PRESS RELEASE – The Guam Aquatics Federation, formerly known as the Guam Swimming Federation and a proud member of World Aquatics, is gearing up for an exciting 2024-2025 swim season. Building on a strong finish in the 2023-2024 season, the federation is set to make waves with a dynamic lineup of events and competitions.
In a remarkable end to last season, Guam Aquatics Federation teams, Manhoben Swim Club and Tsunami Swim Club, competed alongside USA Swimming teams from Hawaii and North America (over 490 swimmers) at the USA Swimming-sanctioned 76th Annual Keo Nakama Invitational. Held from July 5th to 7th, 2024, at the Mark Takai Veteran’s Memorial Aquatics Center in Waipahu, Hawaii, this three-day event marked Tsunami Swim Club’s debut at the invitational.
The Swimmers who represented their clubs:
• Manhoben Swim Club: Israel Poppe, Amaya Bollinger, Doris Chang, and Andrew Bollinger.
• Tsunami Swim Club: Ocean Campus, Titus Hennegan, Sarah Killoran, Cassey Kobayashi, Lya Kobayashi, and Leila Kobayashi.
Results from the event:
Manhoben Swim Club:
Top 10 Placement. All Manhoben swimmers achieved Personal Records in multiple events.
| Swimmer | Event | Place |
| Israel Poppe | Category Men 15- Open | |
| Age 17 | Trophy: Men’s Overall High Point | |
| 200M Fly | 1 (Gold) | |
| 400M IM | 1 (Gold) | |
| 200M IM | 2 (Silver) | |
| 50M Free | 2 (Silver) | |
| 200M Free | 2 (Silver) | |
| 100M Back | 2 (Silver) | |
| 100M Free | 2 (Silver) | |
| 100M Fly | 6 (medal) | |
| Amaya Bollinger | Category Women 15-Open | |
| Age 16 | 200M Fly | 1 (Gold) |
| 100M Fly | 3 (Bronze) | |
| 100M Free | 8 (medal) |
Tsunami Swim Club:
Top 10 Placement. All Tsunami swimmers achieved Personal Records in multiple events.
| Swimmer | Event | Place |
| Ocean Campus | Category Men 15-Open | |
| Age 15 | 100M Free | 3 (Bronze) |
| 200M Free | 9 | |
| 100M Breast | 9 | |
| Sarah Killoran | Category Girls 13-14 | |
| Age 13 | 200M Back | 9 |
| 100M Back | 10 | |
| Cassey Kobayashi | Category Girls 10&Under | |
| Age 10 | 50M Back | 1 (Gold) |
| 50M Fly | 2 (Silver) | |
| 50M Breast | 2 (Silver) | |
| 100M Breast | 2 (Silver) | |
| 50M Free | 3 (Bronze) | |
| 100M Back | 3 (Bronze) | |
| 100M Free | 5 (Medal) | |
| Leila Kobayashi | Category Girls 10&Under | |
| Age 10 | 200M IM | 5 (Medal) |
| 50M Free | 6 (Medal) | |
| 100M Back | 7 (Medal) | |
| 50M Breast | 7 (Medal) | |
| 50M Back | 7 (Medal) | |
| 50M Fly | 7 (Medal) | |
| 100M Free | 8 (Medal) | |
| 100M Breast | 10 |
Joy Clark, President of Tsunami Swim Club, remarked, “Our participation in the Keo Nakama Invitational was a significant milestone for Tsunami Swim Club. We were warmly welcomed by the Hawaii Swim Club and look forward to future collaborations. Our swimmers did very well. They were ready to perform and they surely made a place for Tsunami Swim Club to return.”
Darrick Bollinger, Coach of Manhoben Swim Team, added, “Our swimmers were prepared and the results of the event is evidence of their hard work. The competition provided valuable experience for our swimmers and highlighted their strengths and areas for improvement. We’re excited about the upcoming season and the opportunities it holds.”
Looking ahead, Guam Aquatics Federation is pleased to have its military swim teams, Guam Typhoonz Swim Club (Navy) and Anderson Marlin Swim Club (Anderson), help ensure a regular schedule of swim meet events. The Federation plans to host monthly swim meets on base, both Short-Course and Long-Course, which will be crucial for swimmers to achieve official times. The ongoing challenge of having Agana Swimming Pool closed for nearly four years has made this working relationship especially valuable.
Edwin Ching, President of Guam Aquatics, stated, “We are grateful to our military member swim clubs for their continuous efforts and community collaboration to provide all swim athletes with regular competition opportunities which are essential for maintaining a competitive edge and for tracking progress.”
In addition to local meets, Guam Aquatics is gearing up for two major international events. Swimmers from Guam will represent Team Guam at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest, Hungary, this December, and at the Pacific Mini Games in Koror, Palau, in June 2025.
For more information about Guam Aquatics and its upcoming events, please visit http://guamswimming.org/.
Guam Aquatics member clubs are: Manhoben Swim Club, Manukai Swim Club, Tsunami Swim Club, Guam Typhoonz Swim Club and Anderson Marlins Swim Club
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