Gill, now a 13-year-old freshman at Lahainaluna High School, decided to skip 5th grade so she could enjoy this season as a member of the Lunas' swim team with her sisters, Hailey, a 15-year-old junior, and Mariah, a 17-year-old senior.

"I skipped a grade so I could do this,'' Koral Gill said to The Maui News. "It was one of the reasons why I skipped 5th grade, so I could be in high school with my sisters. It is really fun and I think it is going to be a great year.''

Koral Gill was getting straight A's at the time of her decision — a trend that is exhibited throughout the family — and talked to her teachers before making the jump to Lahaina Intermediate School.

"I had a friend who was really upset that I left, but I made a lot of new friends,'' Koral Gill said.

The addition of Koral Gill to the Lunas could give them the chance to unseat Baldwin at the Maui Interscholastic League championship meet, scheduled for Feb. 8-9 at the Kihei Aquatic Center. The Bears have won the MIL girls swimming title every year but two — when Jessica Nohara led the Lunas to crowns in 2001 and 2002.

Mariah and Hailey Gill were each first-team MIL All-Stars last season.

Lunas coach Tom Popdan remembers the Suehiro sisters — Helena, Emalia and Aja — at King Kekaulike a couple of years back, and hopes they are an example that his trio follows.

"The Suehiros instantly come to mind,'' he said. "They were so great. I think Helena and Emalia were both state champions. I have talked to the girls about how good (the Suehiros) were and they weren't able to beat Baldwin at the MIL level, even though they had those fabulous sisters.

"Baldwin is always the favorite. They are the most formidable team, maybe in any (MIL) sport. They have won every time except for the times we have beaten them. I think the Gill girls need more support than the Suehiro girls got. I think that is the big thing. In order to beat Baldwin — and Baldwin has a great team this year — I think in order to beat them they need a lot of support from the other kids.''

Some of that help will come from senior co-captain Michelle Fuller, senior Natalie Austin and junior Moana Tuipulotu, an MIL water polo standout.

The MIL regular season starts today with Meet No. 1 at the Kihei Aquatic Center, beginning at 10 a.m.

"I really want to get the MIL (title), but I don't want to, like, jinx it or anything,'' Koral Gill said. "We just want to have a really good year, but we really want to get the MIL. That is the main thing that we talk about.''

Hailey Gill echoed her younger sibling's excitement.

"This is like a once-in-a-lifetime thing,'' Hailey said. "I mean, to think that all three of us are in the same high school, on the same swim team, we are just so pumped to do great things this season. The energy on the team — not just the three of us — but we have great leaders and great kids on this team who are pumped to just get in the pool and do great things. Everyone is super-excited.''

An MIL title is the reward at the end of the road for these Lunas.

"It is definitely our goal,'' Hailey said. "I mean, it would be amazing. Mariah is a senior and so many girls are seniors — a title, that would be something I remember the rest of my life. It would be amazing.''

Mariah Gill, who sported a 4.5 grade-point average in the first quarter of this year, said that having Koral on the team with Hailey has been a dream come true.

"It is just incredible,'' Mariah said. "They have been surpassing me lately, so to have them both on the team is really going to help us. We almost have a relay team. One more person and we are ready. It has always been a dream of ours to be on the same team, but Koral has always been so determined, ever since kindergarten, and it shows in the pool.''

Hailey Gill said she was not surprised Koral made the decision to skip 5th grade.

"She has always looked up to me and Mariah and wanted to be with us to do the things that we have done,'' Hailey said. "She is such an amazing athlete. She is right up there with us and she is faster than me in a lot of races. Her doing that was a risk, but it is totally paying off now.''

Koral Gill has been in the stands watching her sisters win MIL titles as starters on the girls water polo team each of the last two seasons. Last season, the Lunas made an unprecedented jump to the final four at the state water polo tournament and narrowly lost the third-place match.

"I just wanted to get in the water with them,'' Koral said. "It was so frustrating.''

Koral Gill brings a lot of talent to the Lahainaluna swim team, having earned a bevy of age-group state titles – she was a high-point scorer as a 10-year-old and 12-year-old – but a lot of what she brings she learned along the way from her sisters, she said.

"They have always told me not to psych myself out because I get really nervous before my races,'' Koral said. "They just calm me down, get me to think about my race and nothing else — just going fast.''

Koral Gill said that being a member of a high school team is different than swimming with your age group.

"Age group, I see it more as an individual thing, and swimming is an individual sport, but being on a high school team is more team,'' Koral said. "It is really fun. When I watched my sisters' high school meets, it was way more together. I can't wait.''