PUHI — Waimea cross country runners overcame strong challenges to sweep the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation Cross Country Championships Saturday. “If you see a blue shirt ahead of you, I want you to finish ahead of it,” Kapa‘a coach Kara Panui
PUHI — Waimea cross country runners overcame strong challenges to sweep the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation Cross Country Championships Saturday.
“If you see a blue shirt ahead of you, I want you to finish ahead of it,” Kapa‘a coach Kara Panui told her girl runners.
That was only one of the challenges being placed upon the Waimea girls who finished ahead of Kapa‘a, 43-47 points. Kaua‘i finished third at 68 points followed by Kula with 69 points.
Another challenge was a missed runner in the chute, creating a re-scoring situation using the county’s Lynx scoring system where results were delayed until late in the evening.
“The KIF championships were the first race of the season to be held under cool conditions and later in the day,” said Basil Scott, one of the Waimea coaches, in an e-mail. “The results showed it! Times were lightning fast with personal bests for many runners and close racing.”
Caralyn Broyles, a consistent leader throughout the KIF season, tripped the clock at 20:15, a time that according to Scott, “should capture attention around the state.”
As Broyles crossed the finish line, one of the Waimea parents informed her of her first-lap times.
“It didn’t feel like I was running that fast,” Broyles replied when she found out her opening time was in the 6-minute mark.
Scott was pleased with Broyles’ performance.
“I knew she had the capability for a fast time and everything came together in this meet,” Scott said. “The cool temperatures helped a lot since heat slows down distance runners tremendously. The 4 p.m. start helped, too, since we practice in the afternoon so the athletes’ bodies are best adapted to afternoon races.”
Gillian Picket of Kula Intermediate and High was a strong factor in the girls race; the young runner kept pace with Broyles throughout the 3-mile course set up at hosting Island School.
“She’s good and she doesn’t know it yet,” was the comment of Ross Shimabukuro, athletic director for Kaua‘i High School, who watched the Kula runner finish second overall, unchallenged at 20:53.30.
Natasha Abadila of Waimea crossed third overall at 22:01.60; the Menehune runner kept pace with Broyles through the first mile-and-a-half before being overtaken by Picket near the two-mile mark.
“Caralyn, Gillian and Natasha ran closely for more than half the race which pushed each of them to personal best times,” Scott said.
“The pace was fast from the beginning with the trio hitting the one-mile mark in 6:25.”
Following the race, Abadila was off to the KIF girls volleyball game where she made a strong showing despite the grueling 3-mile race.
Kirsten McCracken continued her strong showing from last week’s cross country outing, this time finishing fourth overall at 22:18.80 to lead the Kapa‘a finishers. Stephanie Foster, leading the greenshirts in the first 1.5-mile lap, finished fifth overall at 22:29.40.
Punctuated by runners from Kaua‘i (Elizabeth Schiller 22:33.00-6th) and Kula (Amber Loughead 22:33.50), Waimea’s next runner was freshman Jayme Jacinto who stopped the clock at 22:35.30, eighth overall, before leaving with her parents to compete in the KIF volleyball game at Kapa‘a.
LeeAnn Sagucio had nothing left to stave off Kapa‘a’s Natice Neild at the finish line; the Menehune stopped the clock at 15th overall and 23:51.90 below Neild’s 14th finish at 23:50.00.
Similarly, the final scoring Menehune, Charleen Miguel, pushed off a challenge at the line by Kapa‘a’s Kalia Mayer to get 16th overall on a 23:59.70 race over Mayer’s 17th overall 24:00.30 run.
Waimea runner Kaimana Girod realized one of his goals when he beat Kula freshman Pierce Murphy in the boys race.
“It came down to a sprint for the finish line with Kaimana, last year’s champion, edging out Murphy by four seconds,” Scott said.
These times will generate interest at the state level as well because Kaimana crossed at 16:19 and Pierce finished at 16:23, Scott said.
“The race was neck-and-neck the entire three miles,” Scott said. “The runners hit the mile mark in a zippy 5:30, and accelerated from there.”
Murphy was able to create slight gaps at the downhill legs of the course, but Girod stayed on top of him.
Jockeying for position at the final turn, Murphy took the advantage on the inside, but Girod dug deep and slingshot ahead to the lead in the final meters, collapsing in an exhausted heap outside the chute.
“Kaimana needed Pierce to be able to do this,” Peter Riopta, an assistant track coach for Kaua‘i High School, said. “Actually, they both needed each other, because they helped each other run at a pace they would never have been able to by themselves.”
But that was just the first and second slots. The race was yet to be won.
Waimea took advantage of an ailing Kaua‘i runner Chris Barich, and despite several Red Raider runners stepping up the pace, the Menehune crossed four consecutive runners in the 8th through 11th place to decide the race.
That group was headed by Darrel Nonaka (18:26.60), Gregory Griffin (18:28.60), Benji Baclig (18:29.00) and Peter Joyce (18:30.50).
“As a coach, I was extremely gratified to see this,” Scott said. “Cross country is a team sport, and this was a premiere example of team running with the four runners crossing the line within four seconds of each other.”
Scott said if Barich did not have the irritated knee, the boys race would have been a lot closer like the girls race.
The Menehune took the KIF boys title back to Waimea on a 28-point showing followed by Kaua‘i at 40 points. Kapa‘a filled in third place at 69 points with Island School rounding out the field with 120 points.
“This was my last race,” Girod said following his No. 1 finish. “I knew I could beat him, and I had to do it. It was now, or never.”
Following the hot 1-2 finish, Kaua‘i’s Daniel Degracia ran his best race with a third overall finish, stopping the clock at 17:46.30, ahead of Kapa‘a first finisher Adam Kerlin (17:46.90).
Darren Lapitan, who has been a swing runner for the Red Raiders, followed in 6th overall at 18:00.70.
The flow of red was punctuated with Waimea’s Christian Tangalin (17:48.80) and Jared Coleman-Stark (18:01.60), sporting a new hair appearance for this race, crossing at 5th and 7th overall, respectively.
Chevas Takasaki came in 8th overall at 18:16.00 before the pivotal Menehune quartet of runners. Barich finished 14th overall at 18:42.40.
Island School’s first runner, Ryan Wong, crossed 35th overall on a 21:58.50 run.
Following the races, Scott said the overall times were amazingly fast.
“Most runners beat their prior season best performance by a second, or more,” Scott said. “That’s almost unheard of. Chalk it up to adrenaline, championship intensity, fast course and cool temperatures.”
Scott said both Girod and Murphy have a good chance at medaling at the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association’s state meet which is scheduled for Nov. 2 on Maui.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.
com.
