HAWAII GROWN REPORT
COURTESY ERIN NAKAMOTO
Jenna Nakamoto, left, Jonathan Lau, Erin Nakamoto, Chris Ricketts and Mandy Chun enjoyed going to school in St. Charles, Mo., despite the changes in weather.
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Loving the life in Lindenwood
Hawaii swimmers adapt to the change in seasons while attending college in Missouri
The prospect of small classes, individual attention from professors and full athletic scholarships more than outweighed having to deal with Midwest winters for five Hawaii swimmers at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo.
Juniors Jon Lau (Iolani '04) and Chris Ricketts (Mid-Pacific '04) competed for the Lions' men's team that placed second at the NAIA Nationals last year.
Senior Erin Nakamoto (Kalani '03) and junior Mandy Chun (Iolani '04) helped the women's team to a fourth place finish at the nationals. They are team captains this year.
Jenna Nakamoto (Kalani '06) enrolled this past fall.
"They are five of the best student-athletes I've coached in my 26 years," said Lindenwood coach Craig Penrose.
"They are on full scholarship and we guarantee that for four years, which is unheard of these days."
Erin Nakamoto's main interest coming out of high school was Oregon State, but only as a student. Then she heard about Lindenwood.
She made a campus visit in January, experienced the extreme cold, saw trees without leaves and felt she was ready for the changing seasons.
Her decision caught Penrose by surprise.
"The day Erin arrived it was five degrees, icy, a very nasty day. I didn't think we had a chance in hell of her coming from Hawaii to Missouri," Penrose said. "The following Monday her dad called and said she signed."
"They offered a good academic/athletic scholarship and I could swim. The opportunities were better. They were just starting the program and I felt there was a lot of room for growth," said Nakamoto, who competes in the 50-yard free and 100 and 200 backstroke.
She placed third in the 100 back, her primary event, at last year's nationals. She earned All-American status with a time of 1:00.7 in that race at the nationals. Her goal this year is to have a time under 1 minute.
COURTESY ERIN NAKAMOTO
Chun, Erin Nakamoto, Ricketts and Lau bundled up during a snowstorm.
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"In my four years here I see how the program has grown. The quality of swimmers just keeps getting better and better. Records are getting broken every year," Nakamoto said.
Her career highlight came at the nationals last year when the women finished fourth after coming in 11th the year before.
"I think we surprised people at how tough and competitive we were," she said. "We didn't even know how good we were at the start of the season. It was a big turnaround."
The only official visit Lau took was to Lindenwood and that ended his college search.
"I knew right off the bat. I really liked the team aspect. The coach (Craig Penrose) really seemed like he wanted me there, made me feel like I would be taken care of," said Lau, who competes in the butterfly, individual medley and medley relay races.
There may be highlights in the future for Lau, but he can't hide the excitement in his voice when he recalls last year's NAIA nationals that had the Lions battling Illinois Tech and Savannah College of Arts and Design for first place over three and a half days of racing.
"We went into the tournament ranked fifth and we finished second. It was totally unexpected," Lau said. "We were within 15 points of each other at the end of each day. We got people into the finals on the last day that weren't expected to be there. It was just amazing."
Lau, a two-year captain, and Ricketts earned All-American honors swimming on the national champion 400 medley relay team.
COURTESY ERIN NAKAMOTO
The group took advantage of the sunshine and waves at Waimea Bay while on a summer break.
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Ricketts attended Kapiolani Community College for a semester and was going to transfer to Hawaii when Lau called and said there was an athletic scholarship available.
He packed his warmest clothes and arrived in St. Charles in January to start the spring semester.
"It was really cold when I got here. At first I didn't like it because of the weather, but otherwise it is not too bad. It's similar to high school with the small classes and you can get help from the teachers when you need to," Ricketts said.
He swims the 50 and 100 freestyle races and relays.
Chun attended NCAA Division II Indianapolis University during her freshman year after the coach said she would be competing against NCAA Division I schools like Notre Dame and Purdue.
"He made it sound like a lot of fun, but swimming took over my whole life and it was a lot to handle," said Chun.
"I really didn't feel welcomed on the team. I didn't think the coach had confidence in me. He entered me as an exhibition participant in the 200 fly because he didn't think I would make the top eight for the finals. I finished sixth or seventh. He never said anything to me."
That was enough for Chun. She had been recruited by Penrose, who said Chun is now one of the team leaders.
"I called him in the spring and he was understanding and absolutely thrilled I wanted to transfer," said Chun, a captain this year.
COURTESY ERIN NAKAMOTO
Erin and Jenna Nakamoto at the Show Me Invitational in Columbia, Mo., last year.
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"I love it at Lindenwood and I get to play water polo, which makes it even better."
Jenna Nakamoto swims the 100 and 200 breaststroke, her best event, and the individual medley.
"I like the 200 because I'm able to pace myself and I have the necessary endurance," Jenna said.
She also will participate in water polo and likes it better than swimming because it is more of a team sport.
The goal of all five is to qualify for the national championships in San Antonio in March.
Erin Nakamoto, an NAIA Academic All-American last year, will graduate with a degree in accounting in May and plans to come home to find a job.
Lau, Ricketts and Chun will graduate in 2008.
Lau is a pre-med student majoring in biology and is considering several areas of study for graduate school.
Ricketts will earn his degree in criminal justice. He plans to return to Hawaii to explore opportunities in the fire and police departments.
Chun is an English literature major and has not decided on a career after graduation.
Jenna Nakamoto is majoring in advertising with an emphasis on retailing.