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Kamakaala and Ho
win ILH titles
The only element that was a surprise yesterday at the Interscholastic League of Honolulu cross country championships was the weather -- as in partly cloudy skies that suited the league's dominant runners, Lauren Ho and Jeremy Kamakaala, just fine.
Ho, of Hawaii Baptist Academy, captured her second league championship in a row. She set a record on the 2-mile Central Oahu Regional Park course with a time of 11 minutes, 57.3 seconds.
Kamakaala, of Kamehameha, also broke the previous mark, running the boys 3-mile route in 16:31.2. Neither runner was seriously challenged. Ho outdistanced her nearest competitor by more than 25 seconds, while Kamakaala won by more than 24 seconds.
Ho and Kamakaala were sharp despite an unplanned three-week hiatus for the ILH due to inclement weather.
"It was kind of nerve-wracking when we couldn't race for two weeks," said Ho, whose unbeaten season continued.
She has been particularly strong since winning the Iolani Invitational at Kualoa Ranch against a top field from Hawaii and California.
"Kualoa gave me confidence," Ho said.
During the week, Kamakaala expected to conserve energy on a very wet course, but the sun finally came out.
"So I had to go all out," said Kamakaala, like Ho a defending state champion. It is his first ILH title after finishing third as a freshman and second as a junior.
Iolani swept the boys and girls team titles. The girls captured their fourth consecutive ILH crown and have their sights set on the state championships Friday at Hawaii Preparatory Academy.
Ho, who is only a junior, wasn't alone in expecting monsoon-like conditions for the meet after a week of heavy rain on Oahu. Under sunny skies and a spongy, soft grass surface, she blitzed ahead early and never relented. Iolani's Nicole Anderson stayed close at first.
"I think she went especially hard today. I wasn't so used to her being so close," Ho said. "It was a lot different. One of my coaches said I had 15 meters on her. I saw her after I made the turnaround."
The Raider boys had the closest competition. Iolani finished with 40 points, just ahead of Punahou (42) and Kamehameha (43).
Morgan Stephenson and Kon Weber led four Raiders in the top 10.
"It was very close, so nothing's for sure," said Weber, a sophomore who placed fourth (17:08). "We tried our best. That's all we can do."
Iolani's girls were led by Anderson, Joleen Oshiro and Susan Mukai. Anderson finished second (12:23), Oshiro came in third (12:54) and Mukai placed fifth (13:34).
They finished with 40 points, followed by Kamehameha (47) and Punahou (66).
"Our 'One Team' philosophy is a big part of our programs and culture," Iolani girls coach Greg Char said. "The girls are extremely tough mentally."
