The Punahou girls and Kamehameha boys track and field teams used a combination of both to successfully defend their titles at the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championships yesterday at Kamehameha Schools.

"We didn't know how things were going to work with the new scoring system," Punahou coach Duncan Macdonald said. "We knew we had a chance with a lot of youngsters and people who can score."

Punahou sophomore Anna Hildebrand set a meet record in the pole vault as one of six individual winners for the Buffanblu, who scored 179.5 points. Kamehameha finished second with 122 points and Iolani was third with 116.5.

Hildebrand vaulted 10 feet, 3 inches, eclipsing the previous mark of 10 feet set by Lindsay Beimes of Kamehameha in 2002.

"I felt really excited, I was really optimistic and I think I was really nervous, too," Hildebrand said. "I think I got it out after my first jump, but I'm sure (the nervous energy) helped a little."

High school track and field is using a new scoring system this year, with the top six performers scoring points for their schools. The winner earns 10 points, and each finisher after earns 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1, respectively.

"It doesn't make that much of a difference in this meet; the bigger team is going to have an advantage," Macdonald said.

That, and athletes who can score points for their schools. Punahou scored at least one point in all 16 events.

Senior Meghan MacLeod, who transferred this year from Nova Scotia, won the 100 (12.95) and 200 (26.8) and ran on the winning 4x100 relay team.

"I really think it gave me a lot of confidence (for next week's state tournament)," said MacLeod, who is recovering from injuries in both feet because of arch problems. "I definitely think I have a chance again."

Other Buffanblu winners included Jen Lau in the 100 hurdles (16.0), Marisa Schoen in the 800 (2:23.39) and Talitha Liu in the triple jump (36-1). Punahou also won the 4x400 relay.

The Kamehameha boys used the same strategy with similar results. Led by senior Nick Frazier, who won three individual and was part of two winning relay events, Kamehameha scored 195 points. Punahou was second with 119 and Iolani third with 60.

Frazier won the 100 (11.2), 200 (22.74) and 400 (51.57), and anchored the winning 4x100 and 4x400 relays.

"Everything I'm running today, I'm running in states, so it's good practice," said Frazier, who also pointed out that his teammate Travis Beyer, the defending state champion in the 100 and 200, was recovering from shoulder surgery.

Beyer finished third in both events yesterday, "but he's jamming for a guy who just had surgery," Frazier said.

The Warriors scored at least one point in 14 of the 16 events. First-place finishes by Jeremy Kamakaala in the 1500, and Jonathan Kane in the shot put cemented their first place status.

"Everybody is pretty dedicated to winning," Frazier said. "If they run, they run to win."

The only two events the Warriors did not score in were the long jump and high jump. Their best performer in both events, junior Waika Spencer, injured his right knee in the 110 hurdles trials Wednesday and did not compete yesterday.

Spencer said he will undergo a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) today to determine the status of his knee, to see if he will be available to compete in the state championships.

"It's OK, since it's not my jumping leg, it won't be too bad," said Spencer, who competes in the long, triple and high jumps.

Another major injury was suffered by Word of Life senior hurdler Logan Taylor, who fell during the 300 hurdles trials.

Taylor broke his left wrist and underwent surgery yesterday, but said he "should be OK" by the state tournament, according to his coach, Zach Odom.

Taylor's time in the 110 hurdles in the trials was 14.85 seconds, almost 0.7 seconds faster than yesterday's winning time.

Other multiple winners were Careena Onosai of Word of Life, Lauren Ho of Pac-Five and Kealoha Pilares of Damien

Onosai, a sophomore, won the shot put (38-0.25) and set a personal best in the discus (127-9), despite missing training because she played two games this week with the school's basketball team.

"I felt really good, for a while I wasn't doing so good," said Onosai, who said she worked on her footwork for the discus with her father in her house. "It gives me a lot of confidence because I can do good in the state tournament if I keep it up."

Ho, also a sophomore, repeated as the 1500 champion (4:49.67) and won the 3000 (10:22.78) in her first year competing in that event.

"I like the longer races," she said. "It's harder to recover between the (1500) and the (800) because there's so little time. Between the (1500) and the (3000) you get a lot more rest."

Pilares won the long jump (20-6.5) and triple jump (43-4.5).