The University of Hawai'i men's and women's swimming teams kicked off their 2026–27 season at the Triton Invitational at the Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla, Calif., making an immediate splash against California, UC San Diego, and Pomona-Pitzer.

The Rainbow Wahine set the pace on Day 1, finishing at the top of the team standings with 321 points, outscoring host UC San Diego (305), Cal (221), and Pomona-Pitzer (129). Hawai'i started the meet with a bang as they claimed second place in the 200 Medley Relay, with Eva Kovaluk, Zofia Tyminska, Aziza Meyer, and Quincy Key putting together a time of 1:39.19.

Brooke Bennett then delivered Hawai'i's first individual win of the session, touching first in the 500 Yard Freestyle with a time of 4:56.41. UH rookie Sacha Salem (5:00.23) and sophomore Aoife Harkin (5:02.65) added key depth, placing 5th and 6th in the event. Quincy Key sprinted to victory in the 50 Yard Freestyle with a winning time of 22.92. In the 100 Yard Backstroke, Aziza Meyer led UH with a third-place finish (55.98), backed by Eva Kovaluk in 6th (56.59). Mia Blazevska Eminova led Hawai'i in the 200 IM, taking seventh in 2:03.63, before securing a 6th-place finish in the 200 Butterfly with a time of 2:02.30.

On the men's side, the Warriors sit in second-place overall with 285 points, behind Cal (390) and ahead of UC San Diego (245) and Pomona-Pitzer (91). In the 200 Medley Relay, the Hawai'i 'A' squad—Kristians Brencs, Thomas Aguero, Jack Simon, and Alexander Tullberg claimed fourth-place in 1:28.15, closely followed by UH's 'B' relay in fifth (1:29.33).

Individually, Eric "Woobie" Kupsky delivered UH's top time in the distance event, taking sixth place in 4:31.71, followed by Riley Clinton in eighth (4:33.59). Tom Thalau sparked the Warriors in the 200 Individual Medley, capturing fifth place in 1:48.77, while Arminas Murenas touched right behind in 6th (1:50.02). Freshman Tullberg paced UH in the 50 Yard Freestyle, taking fifth in 19.97, with Victor Dagenais adding a sixth-place finish in 20.47. Dagenais notched a podium finish, later taking third in the 200 Butterfly with a time of 1:49.21, while Zane Johnson finished fifth in 1:50.07.

The UCSD Triton Invite concludes with two sessions on Saturday, Oct. 10 at the Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla, Calif.  Session 1 starts at 7:00 a.m. HT10:00 a.m., while Session 2 begins at 10:00 a.m. HT.

TEAM STANDINGS

MEN'S

1.	California	390
2.	Hawai'i	285
3.	UC San Diego	245
4.	Pomona-Pitzer	91

WOMEN'S

1.	Hawai'i	321
2.	UC San Diego	305
3.	California	221
4.	Pomona-Pitzer	129

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