KIHEI — It was the final tune-up day for the swimmers at Maui Interscholastic League swim meet No. 7 at the Kihei Aquatic Center on Friday evening.

With the MIL championships just a week away, several swimmers competed in events that are not their specialties.

Coaches must figure out where to put their swimmers next week to maximize team points. It’s a chess match sort of situation with swimmers limited to four events — they can compete in all three relays with one individual event or a combination of two and two.

“I love that part,” Maui Preparatory Academy head coach Lindsey Stafford said. “We have a lot of kids that are good at different races. We’ll put them where we think they’re best. I don’t know that yet, I can’t tell you yet.”

Maui Prep won both the boys and girls team titles last season — the first MIL swim team titles in school history — and it appears there could be close races for team crowns next week.

The 18 MPA swimmers have been working out in the two-lane pool at The Breakers resort pool with the Lahaina Aquatic Center closed since the Aug. 8 wildfire.

“We’re very excited, our kids have been doing great,” Stafford said. “Like I told you before we were happy to have our season, and these kids have just been doing better and better each week. … We’re excited, we’re happy and it’s been good, it’s been good for everybody.”

The K. Mark Takai/HHSAA state championships will be at Kihei Aquatic Center, Feb. 9-10.

Na Pueo seniors Legend Storer and Carter Bozich both swam state qualifying times in the 50-yard freestyle while finishing 1-2 on Friday, Storer in 22.71 seconds and Bozich in 23.20.

“That was an OK time for now,” said Storer, who already had a state qualifying time in the event, but Bozich did not. “He just qualified, so that’s cool.”

The two seniors are workout partners and were in lanes 4 and 5 in the middle of the pool for their 50 on Friday.

“It helps a lot, like we motivate each other and we push each other, so it definitely helps a lot,” Storer said.

MPA junior Noah Caiserman swam a 2:05.54 time to win the boys 200 individual medley.

“I mean, it could be better, I’ve been feeling a little sick lately, so my best time is a 1:59, so not super close, but I was happy with that,” Caiserman said.

Caiserman helped pace sophomore teammate Noah Richard to a state qualifying time of 2:11.29.

“I was really just pacing for my other Noah right there so he could get the state cut on that one — he made it,” Caiserman said. “I just told him to try to stay with me as best he could.”

Miranda Somers is a freshman and the first swimmer ever for Kulanihako’i, the new public high school in Kihei. She was displaced by the Lahaina wildfire.

“I went into this year not expecting it, but I’m happy it turned out this way,” Somers said after she finished second in the girls 200 freestyle in 2:22.71 — Lahainaluna senior Emily Hegrenes won the event in 2:19.96.

Somers is the only swimmer this season for the Manta Rays, but she gets to work out with Lahaina Swim Club teammates who swim for Lahainaluna during the high school season at the KAC.

“We do swim practice over here right now,” said Somers, who is currently living in Kihei. “It’s really convenient to work out here.”

Xander Hurst is a King Kekaulike sophomore who will be key to Na Alii’s efforts to challenge in the boys team race next week. He won the 200 free in 1:51.82 on Friday. Kihei Charter’s Eli Hazlet was second in 1:53.06 — both of the top two met the state qualifying time.

“I feel like it was good, it was a couple seconds off my personal best, so it definitely could have been a lot better,” Hurst said. “I felt like that was a solid swim — I’m looking forward to MILs. I think that was my first time competing against Eli Hazlet and he’s really good. He was right there the whole time.”

Hurst is excited for the team races in the MIL championships.

“It’s going to be close, it’s going to be exciting to see how that plays out … A lot of it is going to be coaching, what the coaches decide to have their swimmers swim,” Hurst said. “So, that’s going to be exciting to see.”

MPA edged Maui High 63-60 for the MIL girls title last season — one place difference in any of the three relays would have changed that result.

Tea Jimenez is a junior for the Sabers and is excited for the opportunity to make another run at the MIL team crown. She swam only the 400 free relay on Friday to help the Sabers claim a state qualifying mark of 4:04.

“I’m excited to just like race my friends and for our team to do well and improve times,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez has been swimming for nine years and she knows most of the other competitors in the MIL.

“It’s fun to race them and then say ‘Good job’ after,” said Jimenez, adding that an MIL team title “would be really great and just to represent our school for swimming, that would be good to be recognized.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com