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Coach Speak: MPA swim program flourishes under Ritter

Michael “Tex” Ritter has grown the Maui Preparatory Academy swimming and diving program from just five student-athletes in its first year to about two dozen and into MIL boys team title contenders this season. — RAY CHIN photo

When Michael “Tex” Ritter started the swimming and diving team for Maui Preparatory Academy 14 years ago, he had five student-athletes: four boys and one girl.

This season — if the sport rated “low risk” by the Hawaii High School Athletic Association happens — Na Pueo are team title contenders in the Maui Interscholastic League boys ranks.

The program has grown up with the tiny college prep school in Napili that was founded in 2005.

“The whole thing with Maui Prep just happened to come by coincidence,” said Ritter, who is a former assistant coach with Lahainaluna High School and still works with Lahaina Swim Club. “I was up at D.T. Fleming (Beach Park) lifeguarding and (Maui Prep principal) Ryan Kirkham happened to come down with a couple of high school kids that I knew were swimmers.

“I said to him, ‘Hey, if you guys ever want to start a program I’d love to help you guys out and coach your kids.’ That year we only had five swimmers, so that was the first year we started and I’ve been there ever since.”

Coach Michael “Tex” Ritter (right) poses for a photo with Mathew Iverson after Iverson’s win in the 200-yard individual medley at the MIL championships in February. — RAY CHIN photo

The 57-year-old Ritter, himself a former college swimmer at State University of New York at New Paltz who moved to Maui in 2001, has guided the Maui Prep program to all kinds of firsts.

Danielle Jefferies was the school’s first HHSAA state champion in any sport, winning the 100-yard butterfly as a freshman in 2012 before a decorated college career that included two years at LIU-Brooklyn and two more at Colorado Mesa, where she joined former MPA teammate Sky Hirsch on the roster. Jerone Samari won the first state unified title in 2019, swimming a 500 freestyle solo in front of a roaring crowd at Kihei Aquatic Center. Kysha Altura was the school’s first two-time state champ and is currently a junior at Fordham.

And there were several other notable moments along the way.

“It’s such a joy watching these kids compete and seeing how this team has grown over the years,” Ritter said. “Being part of that whole development, from five kids to, I think, the largest group we’ve had is about 24. It’s just been incredible seeing that whole growth going from a nobody team to ‘look at this little private school on Maui up in Napili’ to ‘Hey, we’re a force to be reckoned with.’ “

Jefferies and Ritter keep in touch, and the pupil has taken to the coaching ranks at Colorado Mesa, where she graduated from last season. It is that kind of story that puts a smile on Ritter’s face.

Like its swim program, MPA’s campus is growing rapidly, the latest addition being the Bozich Center for Athletics and Performing Arts that was completed in the spring.

“The school has gone from just a couple small, little rows of classrooms to pretty much a mini-college campus,” Ritter said. “And I was kind of joking with Ryan (Kirkham) and (athletic director) Keenan (Reader) when they built that gym, I kind of was joking, ‘Where’s the pool?’ That’s down the road eventually, but running a pool is a little more costly than running a gym.

“The school, it’s just a family up there that has grown and I’ve watched these kids. I look at the kids that are on the team now that I have watched grow from age group (swimming) … I also coach a masters team, so I see a lot of parents and a lot of people coming through that pool over the years that have just grown with their families.”

Paloma Banto is the girls team captain this year as a senior. She points to her coach as the reason why the swim team is one of the preeminent programs for the school.

“Coach Tex has always been super passionate at what he does, which actually is the most important thing when you’re a coach because you can give it all basically to the swimmers,” Banto said. “He’s super dedicated because he loves it. Of course, he loves all the kids, too, not only the sport.”

Banto, a three-time MIL first-team All-Star, sees the list of swimming alumni from the school and relishes the opportunity to add to the legacy.

“It’s cool because Coach Tex talks about them often and just, not compares us to each other, but he definitely mentions some things that they have done in the past, talks about them being really outstanding in the leadership roles and their dedication to the sport, too,” Banto said. “So it really makes me, of course, want to do better when I hear all the good things about the past swimmers.”

Reader appreciates his longest-tenured coach.

“It has certainly been our most consistently successful sport and it has yielded multiple collegiate swimmers,” Reader said of Ritter’s program. “And I have got to tell you if we can compete this year, our boys team is looking really strong. I would argue we could make a run for the (MIL) championship even as a small school.”

Reader has seen the progression as well — he gave Ritter credit for being able to relate to all prospective athletes, whether they have ever swam competitively or not.

Ritter was an original inductee into the school’s Athletic Hall of Honor in 2016 — Jefferies was part of the 2020 class.

“I think Coach Tex’s ability to work with other coaches within age-group swimming as well to make swimming fun in our community is what has helped make him so successful,” Reader said. “He focuses on growth rather than winning and that really has made him appeal to a wide range of student-athletes. He’s been able to take kids who were never student-athletes and make them into really highly competitive swimmers.”

Added Reader: “First and foremost (Ritter) focuses on making (the swimmers) outstanding members of the community — that’s what he stresses first and I think that has really helped him engage with kids in our community.”

Senior Slater Fleck is the 2020-21 boys team captain. He swam age group for Lahaina Swim Club and started in earnest with Ritter when he reached high school.

“Coach Tex has always been a little bit of a role model to me,” Fleck said. “Although he’s a little bit older, he has always reminded me of kind of a kid, always. He has helped my progression in swimming a lot.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com

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