Two seniors, a junior, and a freshman. From top to bottom, you could see that the experience and youth were present for the Kaua‘i High School girls 4×100 meter relay team that made it all the way to the state’s
Two seniors, a junior, and a freshman. From top to bottom, you could see that the experience and youth were present for the Kaua‘i High School girls 4×100 meter relay team that made it all the way to the state’s fourth best time (52.14) in 2004.
Seniors Shauna Tachibana and Amber Thronas led the way holding the first and last legs of the team. The second and third spots were in the hands of two underclassmen, junior Sherylle Cadiente and freshman Auika Muragin.
“They are just a group of girls who overachieved this year,” coach Ron Velasco said.
Muragin, the youngster on the squad was definitely nervous at the start, but didn’t show it when it came down to the event.
“I felt nervous, but I knew that if we could go out there and just do what we’ve been doing in practice, we would be fine,” Muragin said.
Muragin, a multi-sport scholar athlete, also played soccer and volleyball for Kaua‘i High’s junior varsity squads, while boasting a 3.8 GPA.
Cadiente, the prospective leader for next year’s team was an alternate going into the meets, but after being called up to join the team, she had no problem with performing in and out of the classroom (3.8 GPA).
“I’ve been practicing with the girls all year long and I just did what was asked of myself,” Cadiente said.
Cadiente is also a multi-sport athlete, by playing in the AYSO and HYSA leagues.
Tachibana, a distance runner at first, came into this year as a newcomer in track and field, despite being a senior. The team captain is well-versed in other sports too, like soccer and cross-country, lettering in each for four years. She also garnered second-team all-state honors in soccer.
Like most of the girls, Tachibana also has a very high GPA (3.8). She plans on attending Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) in the fall and double majoring in biology and political science. Tachibana will try and walk-on PLU’s soccer team and hopes to become involved in environmental law.
The squad’s other senior, Amber Thronas started off the year with a spectacular performance on the soccer field, earning KIF player of the year honors and earning second-team all-state accolades.
Thronas plans to attend Western Oregon University in the fall and is undecided about her major.
With the 2004 season in the books, next year looks like a promising year for the Kaua‘i High girls 4×100 relay team.
With a year of experience under their belts, both Muragin and Cadiente look to find the same success next year.
As far as in the distance events, Red Raider freshman Chelsea Smith-Wishard, who finished eighth in the state in the 1500 meter run (5:15.63) has loads of talent and will be the favorite going into next year’s track and field season.
