Kealakehe Alum Earns National DII Swimming Award

Kailua-Kona native Madison Hauanio was recognized by CollegeSwimming.com as its Female Division II National Swimmer of the Week, part of a number of awards announced earlier this week.

Hauanio, a graduate of Kealakehe High School, picked up four individual race wins over the weekend at the Bay Area Invitational. She won the 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard backstroke, 100-yard butterfly, and 50-yard butterfly while swimming for the Cal State East Bay Pioneers.

Cal State East Bay also earned a pair of team relay wins in the 400-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay, with Hauanio competing in both of those events.

Now in her junior season, Hauanio has settled in as a competitor who is tough to beat in the pool. In her sophomore year, she set the school record in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:03:30. Two years ago, she competed in the NCAA National Championships in the 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relays, earning her All-American recognition.

This season, Hauanio is undefeated in 10 races. In a meet against Mills College on Oct. 9, she swept individual wins in the 200-yard butterfly and the 200-yard backstroke. She also helped to lead team wins in the 400-yard freestyle relay and the 400-yard medley relay.

Also dominating in the pool is Hauanio’s teammate and fellow Big Island swimmer, Rachel Shimizu. The Waiakea High School graduate has set her own records at East Bay, breaking a 34-year school record in the 1,650-yard freestyle race during her junior season. She has also taken care of business in the classroom, earning NCAA Individual Scholar All-American Honorable Mention honors.

This year, Shimizu, now a senior, continues to dominate in the water. At the Bay Area Invitational, she placed first at the 1,650-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle, and was on the winning relay team in the 800-yard freestyle relay. Two weeks prior, she won the 500-yard freestyle and the 1,000-yard freestyle.

Next up for Hauanio, Shimizu, and East Bay is a pair of swim meets at the University of Alaska on Nov. 13 and Nov. 14