[ HIGH SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD ]
Punahou girls top Iolani
to win team titleThe Buffanblu capture the crown
without claiming a single individual
championship
WAILUKU » Even when there aren't any members running in the meet, the Macdonald family continues to win at the HHSAA/Island Movers Track and Field championships.
Last night at a soaking wet War Memorial Stadium, Duncan Macdonald coached Punahou to its 27th girls championship. His daughters, Eri and Pippa, had won the previous eight 800-meter races in this meet.
But last night, Punahou captured the team championship without winning a single event.
The Buffanblu finished with 59 points to 53 for two-time defending champion Iolani. Baldwin was third with 49.
"The key for us was getting disqualified from the 4x100 relay," Macdonald said with a big grin. "That's something we always go for."
Joking aside, Macdonald praised the step-up performances of several athletes, including high-jumper Jenna Cross (second at 4-11) and pole vaulter Claire Schiff (second at 9-6).
"And we had lots of performances from people like Meghan MacLeod, fourth in the 100, and she wasn't even seeded," Macdonald said.
Iolani coach Earl Hedani congratulated Punahou, but said the weather adversely affected his team. Two members of the Raiders' 4x400 relay team were held out, one because of hypothermia.
The individual highlight was Seabury Hall senior Tia Ferguson's historic triple. She became the first girl to win the 800, 1,500 and 3,000 meters in the same Hawaii state championship meet. Her times were 2:18.04, 4:43.08 and 10:14.04.
Ferguson barely missed breaking the meet record in the 1,500 in Thursday's trials.
"I was a little disappointed that I didn't get the record, but there's a little consolation that I made qualifying time for junior nationals," she said. "But this is just as good or better. I'm so glad to be here, I love the rain."
Fran Weems of Kealakehe successfully defended her championship in the 200 meters (26.70), as did Lorin Milotta of Waialua in the 100 hurdles (15.64) and Krystal Moore of Hilo in the shot put (40-1).
Sophomore Careena Onosai captured the first-ever track and field gold medal for Word of Life Academy with a toss of 151-9 in her last heave of the discus.
She went into the finals with the lead, but fouled on her first throw in the finals. Her father and coach, Joe Onosai, gave her some encouragement after the miss.
"He just told me to relax and try my best," she said. "It feels awesome."
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Pearl City earns first
state track championshipThe Chargers win the OIA's first boys
title in the sport since Radford
was champion in 1985
WAILUKU » Donaldo Hopper looked like he was in a daze, and admitted he was.
"I never won anything like this before, I don't know what to do," the Pearl City boys track and field coach said, after his Chargers won the school's first state championship in the sport last night at a drenched War Memorial Stadium.
Pearl City did it in surprisingly easy fashion, scoring 50 points. Kahuku was a distant second with 37. Kea'au of the Big Island was a surprising third with 36 and Mililani fourth with 35.
Defending champion Kamehameha was fifth with 32 points.
The Chargers had actually wrapped up the meet before the 4x400 relay, but Hopper got a scare when a runner knocked sprint star Nathaniel Nasca off the track.
Nasca battled back to help the Chargers finish fourth in the relay.
Nasca got Pearl City off to a great start with wins in the 110-meter hurdles (14.84) and 100 meters (11.38). They were the only two events the Chargers won.
"It was a team effort all the way," Nasca said of the Oahu Interscholastic Association's first boys state track win since Radford in 1985. "Coming in we didn't expect to be up there. We thought maybe second or third, but we didn't expect to win. Coach told us to just do our jobs and let the points take care of themselves."
Nasca said distance runner Joe Gonzales (second in the 3,000 and third in the 1,500) and middle-distance runner Bryson Pascua (fourth in the 800 and anchor in the 4x400) helped seal the win.
Kapaa sprinter Joseph Locey was the meet's individual star, blasting past the pack in the 200 (22.93) and 400 meters (49.63).
"I'm just happy I could represent my school well," Locey said. "The rain didn't bother me at all."
Maui's Ronald Belany was a clear winner in the 300 hurdles (40.19), but the Sabers' chances of winning the meet were killed when the pole vault was canceled because of the weather.
The discus throwers were limited to one throw each, giving them four throws total including Thursday's trials. Word of Life's Brashton Satele's throw of 160-9 on Thursday held up for the win.