LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i High School runner Emma Burgess set a new Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation track and field record, but the Kaua‘i girls ended in third place during the KIF track and field championship that wrapped up last Friday at Vidinha Stadium.
Instead, the Island School girls added another trophy to the Voyagers’ showcase by winning the girls division with 175 points. Kapa‘a High School Lady Warriors followed with 113 points, Kaua‘i girls ended with 94 points followed by Waimea at 77 points.
On the boys’ track, the Kapa‘a Warriors were able to squeeze six more points over Island School’s boys to finish with 131 points over the Voyagers’ 125 points. Kaua‘i boys finished at 105 points followed by Waimea at 94 points.
Voyager Ella Offley topped the Girls 100 Meter dash on a 13.10-second run to lead the Voyager women with a first finish in that event. She also ran the opening leg of the Girls 4×100 Relay that finished first on a 52.78 run, and finished first in the Girls 200 Meter Dash on a 27.51 run.
Kapa‘a’s Kanoe Haneberg set the pace for the Lady Warriors with a first finish in the Girls 100 Meter Hurdles, stopping the clock at 17.12 seconds. She also topped the Girls Long Jump on a leap of 16 feet, 5 inches, beating Offley by nearly a foot. In the Girls High Jump, Heneberg settled for third place tie with Island School’s Liliana DeSouza after both girls leaped to 4-04 heights.
On the boys’ High Jump, both Nash Burkhart of Kapa‘a, and Ethan Smith of Kaua‘i knocked the bar at 6 feet, 0 inches. KIF officials said there can be no tie, so a tiebreaker was put in play, both jumpers clearing 5-10, and 5-08. But at 5-06 Smith cleared it in less attempts than Burkhart to claim the title at 5-10, and Burkhart settling for 5-09.
Nash had earlier taken the Boys Long Jump over fellow Warrior Jayden Yamashita on a leap of 19-09.50.
Heneberg was joined by Jodi Woodward who topped the Girls Discus Throw on an 83 foot, 5 inch toss, more than 20 feet longer than Island School’s Melela‘i Beck. In the Girls Shot Put, Woodward soared to the top on a 25-09.50 put, more than three inches better than Kyra Lacaden of Waimea who came in at 25-06.00.
On the boys’ course, Kapa‘a’s Kala Velasco of Kapa‘a edged out Waimea’s Joey Sams in the Boys 110 High Hurdles with a 16.73 run over Sams’ 17.30. He went on to finish third in the Boys 300 Meter Hurdles after being beat by Waimea’s Aiden Ortiz who ran the course on a 43.93 over Kaua‘i’s Lono Kaneko (44.68) and Velasco (45.35).
With the KIF championship set, qualifying KIF participants next meet at the 2022 Island Movers Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Track and Field Championships on May 13 and 14 on the campus of Kamehemeha Schools-Kapalama.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
