With competition finished in Atlanta and the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships completed to wrap up the season for University of Hawai'i swimming and diving, we would like to take some moments to reflect with the outgoing S&D seniors on their 2016 and career experiences as they finish off their time as Rainbow Warriors and Wahine.

DIVING
Aimee Harrison (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada / Ecole Oake Park HS)
Q: How has your overall experience been on the UH Dive Team?
A: It's been pretty surreal. I think up until my junior year it didn't really feel real or set in. When I pictured my college career I didn't see myself ending up here in Hawaii on the swimming and diving team. It is definitely one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
 
Q: How has your experience been with your teammates?
A: We are a super diverse team and I love each and every one of them, even on the days when I feel like I don't. I hate calling them teammates because they really become your family, your 'ohana', which is what Hawaii is built on. They have become my rock and I'm going to miss them when I'm gone.
 
Q: What is your most memorable moment?
A: Qualifying for NCAA's my freshmen year. I honestly had no idea that there was even a chance or a shot and then my coaches told me when we were there. I was so overwhelmed but when I actually made it, it was an incredible feeling.
 
Q: What are your plans for after graduation?
A: I'm going to be here until the end of summer because I have to do some summer classes and then probably go back to Canada. I want to take my LSAT so I can think about where I want to go to law school at some point. I'm going to continue diving and see where that can take me.
 
Q: Is there anyone you would like to thank for getting you to this point?
A: So many people have contributed to my experiences and successes. To name a few would be my coaches, Mike and Anita, from here, and my coach from home, Dallas. Without their support I wouldn't be here. And of course my team. Those are the people you can rely on to get you through the good, the bad, and the really ugly. And family and friends. Without my parents I would never have been put in diving and would never be here. My friends, both here and back home because without them I would never have got half the opportunities I've had today.
 
Lauren Hall (John's Creek, Ga. / Wesleyan HS)
Q: How has your overall experience been on the UH swim team?
A: It was amazing. I met people from all over the world and made long lasting friendships.
 
Q: How has your experience been with your teammates?
A: It was also amazing. Some of us might be far away from our homes, but my teammates are more like family. If anything were to happen, I can always count on them to pick me back up, brush me off, and then tell me to get back out there. They're the most supportive group of people, and I love them.
 
Q: What is your most memorable moment?
A: I think my most memorable moment was aloha friday try a new dive friday. Everyone did the dive they've always wanted to try or feared the most. Some people did it great while others ate it pretty good. It was the most exhilarating practice to this day.
 
Q: What are you going to remember most about Hawaii and your team?
A: I will remember them as my family. They are the crazy out of the box individuals that helped shape the person I am today. If I wanted to go on an adventure, I'd call up my teammates and get on youtube or something.
 
Q: What are your plans for after graduation?
A: I plan to move somewhere totally different and get an exciting job dealing with sports. I had just an amazing time coming to hawaii knowing no one or anything I want to test myself again and see where it takes me.
 
Q: Is there anyone you would like to thank for getting you to this point?
A: I'd like to thank my parents for teaching me determination and hard work, and my grandparents for teaching me to follow my passion and experience what the world has to offer.
 
Amund Gismervik (Stavanger, Norway / St. Svithun Viteregaende)
Q: How has your overall experience been on the UH Dive Team?
A: It's been good and fun. It's been a long experience but looking back it's gone by fast.

Q: How has your experience been with your teammates?
A: It's been 4 very different years with different people, and it's been a lot of good times. There has been a lot of good memories, and I think I will remember those people and the memories for the rest of my life.
 
Q: What is your most memorable moment?
A: Getting 3rd place at the NC's during my sophomore year. That was my best accomplishment. But a memorable moment for me was just getting here my freshmen year. The first couple months of just being here.
 
Q: What are your plans for after graduation?
A: I have a few ideas. I could keep on training, because I'm not graduating until December. So I can train another semester here and then maybe go back to Norway and train there, or I could not train and stay here for a little while.
 
Q: Is there anyone you would like to thank for getting you to this point?
A: Mike and Anita for wanting me to come here in the first place. Also, my teammates that have become my friends.
 

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SWIMMING
Paulo De Paula (Sao Paulo, Brazil / Colegio Universitas)
Q: How has your overall experience been on the UH swim team?
A: It's been good. The team pretty much becomes your family, especially for me coming from another part of the world. It has been a good experience here.
 
Q: How has your experience been with your teammates?
A: They become your family. Everyone here is far from home. They become the people you can actually trust because you see eachother everyday and they become a big part of your life.
 
Q: What is your most memorable moment?
A: When I went to Nationals. I went to NCAA's my sophomore year. I worked so hard and it was really good to see my hard work paying off and be able to race the fastest guys in the country.
 
Q: What are you going to remember most about Hawaii and your team?
A: Just my friends and how I got to spend a good part of my life doing what I love, which is swim. I got to live in a cool place, travel a lot, and race the fastest people in the country.
 
Q: What are your plans for after graduation?
A: I still have another year of school, so I don't really know.
 
Q: Is there anyone you would like to thank for getting you to this point?
A: Definitely my family for supporting me. Also my teammates, especially the seniors, because we have all been through the same stuff. And of course the coaching staff.
 
Ryan Makuta (El Segundo, Calif. / El Segundo HS)
Q: How has your overall experience been on the UH swim team?
A: It's been great. I don't think I would trade it for any other experience in the world.
 
Q: How has your experience been with your teammates?
A: My teammates have been awesome. You swim here four years and you see those who stick it out and those who don't, but through the time you meet some of your best friends throughout life.
 
Q: What is your most memorable moment?
A: All of the ups and downs of being here with my teammates and just going through life with them by my side.
 
Q: What are you going to remember most about Hawaii and your team?
A: I think my friends. Those I have been with day in and day out and have shared life experiences with.
 
Q: What are your plans for after graduation?
A: Hopefully travel a bit.
 
Q: Is there anyone you would like to thank for getting you to this point?
A: My parents, for putting up with my and getting me to where I am. Jen, for coaching me to where I am today, and Victor, for giving me the opportunity to be here.
 
Morgan Mark (Langley, B.C., Canada / Walnut Grove Secondary)
Q: How has your overall experience been on the UH swim team?
A: Swimming for Hawaii has been life changing, and life developing experience for me. It made me more well rounded and prepared for the adult world. Swimming with school was challenging but I pushed through a lot of things I didn't think I could.
 
Q: How has your experience been with your teammates?
A: I got to know people that I never would've gotten to know if I didn't swim with them. I think some of them shaped me in ways I didn't think they could. I love my teammates. We help each other.
 
Q: What is your most memorable moment?
A: At conference, right before we were about to win. We just go and do the best we can and people were like 'yeah we're probably gonna win' and that moment of realization that our hard work was paying off. It was so exciting and I was so full of energy and couldn't believe it. When we won, we all came together in that moment and jumped in the pool and were screaming and yelling.
 
Q: What are you going to remember most about Hawaii and your team?
A: Having somewhere to go every morning and having such a huge family.
 
Q: What are your plans for after graduation?
A: I'm thinking I'm going to try and get into the nursing program but what is most appealing is our grad assistant is going to be leaving right as I would be going into the nursing program so she is kind of pushing me on going into her spot. I want to try and be the grad assistant for the team.
 
Q: Is there anyone you would like to thank for getting you to this point?
A: My parents of course. I want to thank Jen for staying with us and putting up with us and always being a motivator.
 
Kacy Johnson (Honolulu, O'ahu / 'Iolani School)
Q: How has your overall experience been on the UH swim team?
A: Overall it's been great. The combination of being able to live at home and also compete for the state as a lot of people say, because there's no professional teams here. The school having the support that it does makes it an awesome experience. To be able to represent a state is a huge deal.
 
Q: How has your experience been with your teammates?
A: It's definitely unique. I have learned a lot of lessons from it. I honestly I don't think I can say anything negative about it. They've always been positive and I know I can count on them and it's just been fun.
 
Q: What is your most memorable moment?
A: It would probably be winter training. There is no other time where so many people will be in such a huge amount of pain at the same time, and to know that your teammates are there eating it with you at the same time is just something unique to swimming.
 
Q: What are you going to remember most about Hawaii and your team?
A: The connections and the things that we've been through. From my freshmen year it has been a rollercoaster, but I've learned to adapt and with the help of my friends it's made me a lot stronger of an individual.
 
Q: Is there anyone you would like to thank for getting you to this point?
A: I would definitely like to thank Victor. Since I was 13 he has known about me and then progressively as we kept on moving through and I went into my senior year he knew that he was going to recruit me. He had confidence from me from the start. I would also like to thank my teammates who stuck with me all the way through. We pushed and we made it through. And I would like to thank my parents and my club coaches.
 
Kristen Bennett (Richland, Wash. / Hanford HS)
Q: How has your overall experience been on the UH swim team?
A: It's been a lot of fun. I've made a lot of friends, from all of the world, too, which is really cool.
 
Q: How has your experience been with your teammates?
A: They're my family. It's been a lot of fun making a whole family over here because when you get here it feels like you're alone, but then you're not because you have bunch of friends right away.
 
Q: What is your most memorable moment?
A: When we won conference last year. That was really awesome because we all worked really hard for it, so that was a very proud moment for the team.
 
Q: What are you going to remember most about Hawaii and your team?
A: All of the fun that we had every practice and all the hard work we put in, while still having fun and getting coached by Victor and Jen the whole time. 

Q: What are your plans for after graduation?
A: I am moving to the Big Island and hopefully getting a job.
 
Q: Is there anyone you would like to thank for getting you to this point?
A: Jen and Victor, because they have been there for me when I had rough times. And of course my parents too.
 
Sophie Allin (Glastonbury, England / Millfield School)
Q: How has your overall experience been on the UH swim team?
A: I wouldn't trade it for anything the world. It's been a challenge getting into the American system of how they train and what that training encompasses. But it's been really good fun and I had a lot of chances to travel which is nice. Overall it's been amazing.
 
Q: How has your experience been with your teammates?
A: We are from all walks of life and different backgrounds, so I can't really put it into words. It has been phenomenal, really.
 
Q: What is your most memorable moment?
A: I have two. When the women's team won the conference last year, and our end of Christmas training. We went on a boat trip and it was amazing.
 
Q: What are you going to remember most about Hawaii and your team?
A: I think training outdoors everyday and having made friends.
 
Q: What are your plans for after graduation?
A: Probably go back to England and maybe join the airlines, or move to Australia.
 
Q: Is there anyone you would like to thank for getting you to this point?
A: I would like to thank Victor for bringing me out here and giving me the opportunity. It was a long process with me but he helped me out. Also my coaches from back home.
 
Katie Armbrecht (Pagosa Springs, Colo. / Pagosa Springs HS)
Q: How has your overall experience been on the UH swim team?
A: My experience on the UH swim team has taught me more than I thought it ever would. It helped me with life skills that I will always carry with me.
 
Q: How has your experience been with your teammates?
A: It has been amazing getting to know so many different people from all corners of the globe. I will always remember times with my team here at UH.
 
Q: What is your most memorable moment?
A: If I had to say one, I think it would be the first day I swam in the UH pool and met my coach, Jen Buffin, with my soon to be roommate at the time. It was one of those moments where you just stop and go wow.
 
Q: What are you going to remember most about Hawaii and your team?
A: I think I will always remember the team events that we organize. Like team beach trips to north shore where we spend 6 hours there swimming, playing frisbee, and watching the sunset. Also the hikes, beach practices, and travel trips.
 
Q: What are your plans for after graduation?
A: I haven't really figured out what I am going to do after graduation yet. I have a few ideas like apply for grad school, try to find a job, or move off island.
 
Q: Is there anyone you would like to thank for getting you to this point?
A: I wish I could put into words how to thank my parents enough. Through the countless 5 hour car trips to meets, late night towel/clothes washing, healthy meals when I come home from practice, hugs when I cried over a DQ or bad race, and driving me to all my practices for the past 16 years. Thank you mom and dad for putting me on the Bon Air Blue Streaks. I would also like to thank my first real coach who actually saw potential in me and pushed me everyday, Stephen Williams. I would like to thank Tiffany Candelaria who not only saw the potential in me, but also helped me reach it. I wouldn't be swimming D1 without her. She was a great coach who was an even better friend. Lastly, I would like to thank all my teammates past and present. You helped shape me in and out of the pool.