Punahou wraps water polo season with rout of ILH rival Kamehameha
Synnove Robinson fired home six goals and Hope McCarren added four scores as top-seeded Punahou overpowered Kamehameha 17-4 in the title match of the Kyo-ya Hotels &Resorts/HHSAA Water Polo State Championships on Saturday night at Kamehameha Schools. McCarren was essentially Punahou’s point guard, a tall, deceptively sharp playmaker. She finished with three assists and a host of unofficial hockey assists as the Buffanblu carved out good looks against a tough Kamehameha zone defense.
Ava Aguilera anchored the squad on both ends, giving Punahou a perfect 22-0 record and back-to-back state crowns under veteran coach Ken Smith. This is girls state title No. 17 under Smith.
The three playmaking seniors — Robinson, McCarren and 2025 ILH Player of the Year Aguilera — played their final match in buff and blue. Robinson will suit up for Harvard next season. Aguilera will play for Claremont-McKenna, while McCarren, who Smith considers the linebacker of Punahou’s rugged defense, will play at Fresno State, a top-10 program.
“Coach says, ‘You’re always guarding two people. ’ Always hustling, your head’s on a swivel,” McCarren said. “This team inspires me to be a leader.
They’re the root of it. ” “It feels incredible. We put in all this work the whole past few years.