Iolani takes a different route in winning state title again
| • | Track and field results |
By Leila Wai
Special to The Advertiser
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Different method, same result.
Waialua's Lorin Milotta is on her way to victory in the 100-meter hurdles. Her time was 15.80. Milotta is flanked by Mililani's Mei Li Nickles, left, who finished fourth, and Nickles' sister Chun Mei, who finished second.
The Iolani School girls, who rode Lauran Dignam's record-tying five gold medals to their first state title last year, defended their Island Movers Track and Field Hawai'i State Championship last night despite only two gold medals.
The Raiders amassed 49.50 points with a number of second- through fifth-place finishes. In contrast, second-place Mililani, led by sisters Chun Mei and Mei Li Nickles, had four gold medals and 34 points. Punahou placed third with 32.5 points.
"This is super," Iolani coach Earl Hedani said. "Everyone performed beyond our expectations. We are such a young team, for them to place, it was an accomplishment. The points just kept accumulating."
Raiders' Sophomore Nicole Anderson won the 3,000-meter run in 10 minutes, 36.35 seconds, and junior Kelly Higa won the high jump (5 feet, 1 inch).
"Last year we had Lauran," Anderson said. "With someone that great, it was more likely we would win. Having to do it without her, it takes more of everyone stepping up. And everyone stepped up, I'm so proud of them."
One meet record fell, when Chun Mei Nickles won the pole vault with 11 feet, 4 inches. The previous record of 11-0 was set by Kimberly Higa of Roosevelt in 2000.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
At attempting 11-4, Nickles said, "If I can do this, the state track meet is worth it. I missed my senior prom for this."
Iolani's girls celebrate their second consecutive state track and field championship. Iolani edged Mililani and Punahou.
Other meet highlights included:
• Mei Li Nickles, won the triple jump (37-1.75), the long jump (17-8.75), and anchored the Trojans' 4x100 relay in 51.38 seconds.
She finished fourth in the 100 hurdles (16.07). Her distances for the triple and long jumps carried over from Thursday's trials, when no other jumpers matched her distances.
And Mei Li was glad, because "I don't think I could have done as well as I did on Thursday," she said. Her reason? She made up about five meters on Iolani in her final leg in the 4x100 relay.
"It was very important. I kept saying, 'Make it up baby, try and make it.' It was kind of far, but I was trying to catch her." The Iolani runner fell at the finish line, and Mei Li raced past her. "I was concentrating on finishing, I didn't even know she fell."
• Hilo's Krystal Moore won both the shot put (38-7.25) and the discus (121-5). "I wasn't really expecting to place in the discus," she said. Last year she finished second in the shot put, and didn't finish in the top five in the discus.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Halfway through this season, her right, throwing shoulder began bothering her, because she was doing too many repetitions. "It doesn't bother me while I'm throwing, she said. "Just before and after. I just kind of get over it."
Punahou's Pippa Macdonald won the 800 for the fourth time.
• Ku'ulei Karratti, from Ka'u, won the 100-meter dash, in 12.87. "It feels good," she said. "I come from a small school, with no track to practice on. We have to practice on a football field." The senior, who also plays basketball, soccer, runs cross country and bowls, said her career best (hand timed) was 12.4.
• Three months ago Hawai'i Baptist's Lauren Ho was participating in ILH Intermediate Track. Yesterday, she won the 1,500-meter run, in 4:50.60. "It was really difficult," she said of the run. "I wasn't used to racing like that. Everyone was running me down. In the last lap I always kick, and this time everyone kicked with me." Ho also placed third in the 800 (2:23.25).
• Punahou's Pippa Macdonald won the 800, in 2:16.56, for the fourth straight year. This means the Macdonald sisters have an eight-year reign on the 800 (Eri Macdonald won it from 1996-1999). "I wanted to win, but I didn't think I was going to let anyone down except myself," Pippa Macdonald said.
