WAIMEA — The Island School boys and the Kauai High School girls marked victories Saturday when the Kauai Interscholastic Federation opened its cross country season in the cool morning air at Waimea High.
Voyager blue dominated the leaders, filling the top four finishers in the boys race, as the Island School boys collected 22 points to claim the race. Kauai boys, first-year runner Brennen Corregedore’s red punctuating the field of blue, followed in second place with 34 points as the field of red shirts poured across the finish line in the sixth through ninth places overall.
Kapaa’s Alaka‘i “Ala” Gonsalves was the first Warrior to finish, 10th overall, leading the Warriors to 93 points for third place, a mere four points separating them from Waimea, which finished with 97 points.
Kauai Christian Academy fielded a single runner, Kevin Cabreira, who was among the leaders in the first mile before slipping to an overall 26th-place finish with a run of 20 minutes, 20.85 seconds.
The Voyager boys capitalized on running the first race in cooler conditions, sending its top three runners across the line all in under 18 minutes: Matthew Vickers, 17:23.07, Joshua Graves, 17:25.48, and Eli Ibbs 17:28.72.
First-time runner Emma Burgess set the pace for the Kauai High girls as the day warmed, breaking the 20-minute mark with a 19:45.86 run after dogging Island School’s Ella Beck for the first mile before breaking through.
Beck finished second at 20:19.42, followed by fellow Voyager Olivia Lutkevich at 21:19.77.
Kapaa’s Jessica Drent (23:05.35) finished fourth, with Kauai High returning runner Mia Takekuma (23:33.30) taking fifth.
Raider Nicole Matsushige (23:49.02) crossed in sixth overall, followed by teammate Sadie Murray (23:52.20) in seventh, and Summer Navarette (24:22.39) in eighth overall, to clinch the win with 22 points (one point for each of the top five finishing places, with the lowest point total the winner), followed by the Voyagers with 61 points, just two points ahead of the Kapaa girls.
Waimea girls, its top three runners filling in the 15th through 17th overall spots, finished with 84 points.
Kauai Christian Academy also participated in the girls race with a solo runner, Laura Arbo, who crossed the finish line 24th overall in 27:43.36.
The next cross country meet unfolds Saturday on the Kauai Community College campus, hosted by Kauai High School. The first race gets underway at 7:30 a.m.
Results
Boys 3.2-mile race: Matthew Vickers (IS 17:23.07), Joshua Graves (IS 17:25.48), Eli Ibbs (IS 17:28.72), Brennen Corregedore (Kau 18:20.94), Christian Carrington (IS 18:29.20), Sam Israelson (Kau 18:48.30), Damon Johnson (Kau 18:52.45), Kai Pappas (Kau 19:08.44), Jaheim Scoburgh (Kau 19:14.23), Alaka‘i “Ala” Gonsalves (Kap 19:24.58), Ryan Stevens (IS 19:27.57), Spencer Summerhays (IS 19:27.97), Cade Myers (Kau 19:30.74), Kai Mottley (Kau 19:42.43), Bradley Pratt (IS 19:43.00), Ky Niccore (Wai 19:46.17), David Carlsson (IS 19:46.69), Wanbil Prixmeaux (IS 19:47.69), Bryce Fernandez (Kau 19:48.08), Sage Martin Oldenfield (Kap 19:55.16).
Girls 3.2-mile race: Emma Burgess (Kau 19:45.86), Ella Beck (IS 20:19.42), Olivia Lutkevich (IS 21:19.77), Jessica Drent (Kap 23:05.35), Mia Takekuma (Kau 23:33.30), Nicole Matsushige (Kau 23:49.02), Sadie Murray (Kau 23:52.20, Summer Navarette (Kau 24:22.39), Kiele Casillas (Kau 24:29.36), Sapphire Sugahara (Kap 24:32.51), Mia Matsunaga (Kau 24:33.80), Kirra Carvalho (Kau 24:34.28), Coral Haeger (Kap 24:34.98), Malia Splittstoeser (Kau 24:40.77), Meah Jensen (Kap 24:50.08), Janessa Freitas (Wai 25:11.60), Noe Kaya (Kau 25:25.64), Kaya Akana (Wai 25:55.07), Eva Israelsen (Kau 25:59.07), Hope Newton (Wai 26:23.43).
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
