Dignam carries Iolani girls to first ILH track title
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
Led by senior Lauran Dignam's five-star performance, Iolani School captured its first Interscholastic League of Honolulu girls track and field championship yesterday at Punahou.
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser
Punahou had won the previous 36 ILH girls championships. Punahou's boys, led by record-setting distance runner Todd Iacovelli, won their sixth championship in seven years.
Punahou senior Todd Iacovelli takes an early lead en route to victory in the 1,500. He also won the 3,000 in record time.
Dignam, who was the ILH soccer Player of the Year this past season, won three individual events — setting a meet record in the 200-meter dash — and anchored two winning relay teams for the Raiders.
Her 200 time of 25.06 seconds broke the previous record of 25.2 set by Heidi Friese in 1981. Dignam ran the 400 in 56.98, a bit slower than her meet-record time of 56.34 in Thursday's trials, but still an eyelash better than the previous record of 56.99 set by Eri Macdonald in 1999.
Dignam also won the 100 with a time of 12.20 and anchored the Raiders' gold medal 4x100 and 4x400 teams. In the 4x100, Iolani had a rough exchange after the second leg and by the time Dignam took the baton, the Raiders were about 12 yards behind.
Dignam made up the difference and Iolani won by .09 seconds. That's how several 4x100 races ended this season.
"I think I do better when I'm chasing," Dignam said.
Raiders coach Earl Hedani said Dignam's all-around performance was the best in the school's 20 years of ILH girls competition.
"Nothing can compare with this," said Hedani, who has headed the Iolani girls program since its 1983 debut. "Lauran is in a zone by herself. The 4x100 was a good example, the way she came from behind. That's the way she is. She has a lot of heart."
The Raiders also received winning efforts from Katie Greenlee, who took the long jump (16 feet, 4fl inches) and the triple jump (35-7¥), and Christi Morrissey, who captured the 800 (2 minutes, 19.51 seconds). In addition, Iolani got five second-place finishes and eight thirds.
The Raiders finished with 105 points. Punahou took second with 84 and Pac-Five (39) was third.
Other meet records set in the girls competition came in the shot put (Punahou's Natalie Fujimoto, 43 feet even) and pole vault (Kamehameha's Lindsay Beimes, 10 feet even).
In Thursday's trials, Fujimoto had tied the meet record of 42-9 1/2 set by Deedee Akeo in 1977, although Fujimoto's throw would have been considered the standard because the modern shot actually weighs about .8 pounds more than the one used in Akeo's event.
Fujimoto made that issue moot with yesterday's throw.
In the boys competition, Punahou (89 points) ran away from second-place Kamehameha (52) and third-place Iolani (44) and meet records fell in the 300 hurdles and 3,000.
Kamehameha's Jesse Lee ran the 300 hurdles in 39.20 seconds, which now stands as the record over Mike Nakagawa's hand-timed 39.2 run in 1988.
In the 3,000, Iacovelli's winning time of 9:09.40 shattered the record of 9:17.44 set by Jacob Williams in 1999.
Kamehameha's Brandon Ala, who threw the discus a record 196 feet, 11 inches in Thursday's trials, fouled on each of his three attempts yesterday. In field events, trial marks are carried into the finals.
