Maui's Rowe disqualified at U.S. swim trials

Advertiser Staff

Caleb Rowe, a 2001 Baldwin High graduate, was disqualified in the semifinals of the 100-meter breaststroke yesterday at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials in Long Beach, Calif.

Rowe, who will be a senior at Cal in the fall, had the seventh-best time in the preliminary heats — clocking 1 minute, 2.62 seconds, which was a marked improvement from his seeded time of 1:03.84.

The 21-year-old from Wailuku, Maui, who was representing Hawai'i Swimming Club-Maui, clocked 1:02.96 in the semifinals. That would have put him in ninth place in the 26-man field — missing the final eight by 19 hundredths of a second. However, the disqualification — there was no reported reason on the USA swimming Web site — made that moot.

Two other swimmers with ties to Hawaii also competed yesterday.

Nicole Mackey, who will be a sophomore at the University of Hawai'i, finished 21st out of 55 swimmers in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:54.10.

Noa Sakamoto, a 2004 Punahou School graduate who will be a freshman at Stanford, finished 26th out of 27 swimmers in the 400 freestyle in 4:12.80.

TENNIS

Kane'ohe's Greer on U.S. Paralympic team

Kane'ohe's John Greer will represent the U.S. at the 2004 Paralympic Games, Sept. 19 to 26 in Athens. The team was announced by the U.S. Tennis Association and coach Dan James.

The United States' top wheelchair tennis athletes will take on the world's greatest players, representing 33 countries. The U.S. team has four men, four women and three quad athletes. This is the inaugural Paralympic Games of the quad division.

The United States is the only nation to have the maximum 11 spots filled through Direct Acceptance (accepted because of ranking and no wild card status).

Wheelchair tennis was introduced to the Paralympic program in 1988 as an exhibition event before becoming a full medal sport at the 1992 Paralympic Games in Barcelona.

USTA.com contributed to this report.