Posted on: Thursday, May 13, 2004

Nasca clears several hurdles to excel in track

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Pearl City High senior Nathaniel Nasca's best chance at winning his first individual gold medal came when he was in contention in the pentathlon entering the final event of the competition: the hurdles.

A bit undersized at 5 feet 8 and 145 pounds, Nathaniel Nasca makes up for it with a strong work ethic. Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

"The hurdles were my best event," said Nasca, who was 10 at the time. "I was in the lead and midway I hit the hurdle and I fell down. It was the first time I ever fell down in a competition."

He got up and finished, but placed third in his age group.

"When he first ran track when he was a kid, he was so tiny, and he would just run his heart out," said Phil Nasca, who remembered his son being at least four to six inches shorter than the other competitors. "He would come in third or fourth, but he never gave up. All these years later, it's coming to fruition, all his hard work and effort."

Nasca played a direct role in half of Pearl City's 104 points in Saturday's O'ahu Interscholastic Association Track and Field Championships, helping the Chargers win their first OIA title since 1987.

He won the 100-meter dash (11.16 seconds), 110 hurdles (15.05) and long jump (21 feet, 3¥ inches), and anchored the 4x400 and 4x100 relays, where the Chargers finished second and third, respectively. He also placed second in the 200 (22.87).

Nasca is hoping to help the Chargers contend for the title in the HHSAA/Island Movers State Track and Field Championships at the Yamamoto Track and Field Facility at the War Memorial Stadium on Maui, starting with today's trials and ending with Saturday's finals.

"He's just an all-around athlete," Pearl City coach Donaldo Hopper said. "Most people look at him as undersized or small, but his work ethic makes up for it. Most people underestimate him, because of his size."

Nasca is about 5 feet 8 and 145 pounds.

"I've always been smaller, I just enjoy sports so much that it doesn't really bother me," Nasca said. "I always enjoy taking on bigger people."

And older people, too.

HHSAA/Island Movers State Track & Field Championships • WHERE: Yamamoto Track and Field Facility, War Memorial Stadium, Maui • WHEN: Today—Trials, field events starting at noon, track events at 3:15. Saturday—Finals, field events starting at 3:30 p.m., track events at 5:40. • ADMISSION: Adults $7; students (kindergarten through 12th grade) $5. • Parking: Free.

Phil remembers his son's first year in track, when he went winless.

"(Former University of Hawai'i football player) Matthew Harding saw how hard Nathaniel was working and he invited him to run on the 4x200-meter relay team and they took first," said Phil, who said their relay team competed in the open division. "That basically was a benchmark in terms of him staying in track."

Nasca said it was that early training that helped him develop perseverance.

"You're always going to have bad things happen in sports, it is one of the things you have to work through," he said.

It is that kind of positive attitude that Hopper said makes him glad to have Nasca on his team.

"He leads by example," Hopper said. "He's a good kid to have around. He's not too vocal, but when he needs to be, he'll say something to get everyone in line."

Hopper said one of Nasca's biggest advantages is his quick start off the blocks.

"We've never had an athlete at Pearl City that quick coming off the blocks before," said Hopper, who has been a coach for nine years and was a part of the school's track and field program as a student. "He has the advantage over everybody because he reaches his top speed before everyone else."

At the OIA Western Division Championships in late April, Nasca tied an 18-year-old record in the 100 by running a hand-timed 10.7. It tied the mark set in 1986 by Larry Khan-Smith, a former football standout at Campbell and the University of Hawai'i.

"Coming from his standpoint, since he was a little boy, everyone told him he was too small to do things," Hopper said. "So far, he's proven everyone wrong."

Nasca also starred in football, earning first-team honors as a wide receiver and defensive back in the OIA Western Division's Red Conference. He signed with Azusa Pacific in California to play football, and said he hopes to continue his track career there as well.

Nasca says a good showing in this week's state championships might improve his chances of joining Azusa Pacific's track and field team, but is still wary of the competition.

"There's a couple of good sprinters on the Neighbor Islands that we haven't raced against so you never know," he said. "It should be some good competition when we get there."

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.

• • •

STATE TRACK AND FIELD: TOP 5 QUALIFYING MARKS

Distances in meters

* converted from hand timed

Girls

100 hurdles

1, Lorin Milotta (Waialua) 15.24

2, Mei Li Nickles (Mililani) 15.54*

3, Jen Lau (Punahou) 16.00

4, June Ann Lusk (Baldwin) 16.22

5, Talitha Liu (Punahou) 16.23

100

1, Marina Gusman-Brown (Pearl City) 12.46

2, Fran Weems (Kealakehe) 12.55

3, Lauren Amano (Baldwin) 12.64*

3, Taryn Kaanoi (Kalaheo) 12.64*

5, June Ann Lusk (Baldwin) 12.74*

1500

1, Tia Ferguson (Seabury Hall) 4:43.77

2, Lauren Ho (Hawai'i Baptist) 4:49.67

3, Nicole Anderson (Iolani) 4:59.12

4, Maya Coelho (Kamehameha) 4:59.34

5, Joleen Oshiro (Iolani) 4:59.99

4x100 Relay

1, Punahou 50.34

2, Iolani 50.96

3, Kamehameha 50.99

4, Baldwin 51.09

5, Mililani 51.34*

400

1, Taryn Kaanoi (Kalaheo) 59.01

2, Brittany Young (Seabury Hall) 59.02

3, Erin Wooldridge (King Kekaulike) 59.30

4, Elisabeth Ertl (Moanalua) 59.35

5, Fran Weems (Kealakehe) 59.90

300 hurdles

1, Healani Leite-Ah Yo (Kamehameha) 47.37

2, Chelsea Morriss (Hawai'i Prep) 47.68

3, Susan Gleed (Hawai'i Prep) 47.74

4, Jen Lau (Punahou) 48.11

5, Sarah Nicolaisen (Ka'u) 48.24

800

1, Tia Ferguson (Seabury Hall) 2:17.24*

2, Marisa Schoen (Punahou) 2:23.39

3, Kelsey Harrity (Konawaena) 2:24.77

4, Maya Coelho (Kamehameha) 2:26.08

5, Leialoha Bratton (Kaiser) 2:26.47

200

1, Lauren Amano (Baldwin) 26.04

2, June Ann Lusk (Baldwin) 26.13

3, Fran Weems (Kealakehe) 26.33

4, Monique Shinnery (Kapolei) 26.35

5, Marina Gusman-Brown (Pearl City) 26.44*

3000

1, Tia Ferguson (Seabury Hall) 10:05.24*

2, Lauren Ho (Hawai'i Baptist) 10:22.78

3, Nicole Anderson (Iolani) 10:27.34

4, Emily King (Moanalua) 10:51.56

5, Joleen Oshiro (Iolani) 11:01.20

4x400 relay

1, Punahou 4:09.22

2, Iolani 4:11.54

3, Kamehameha 4:13.18

4, Moanalua 4:14.60

5, Kapolei 4:14.77

High jump

1, Jackie Huttger (Kapa'a) 5-3

2, Maya Coelho (Kamehameha) 5-2 1/4

3, Kelly Higa (Iolani) 5-1

3, Tiara Dole (St. Anthony) 5-1

3, Mei Li Nickles (Mililani) 5-1

3, Jennifer Lindsey (Kapa'a) 5-1

3, Jenna Cross (Punahou) 5-1

Long jump

1, Mei Li Nickles (Mililani) 18-1

2, Catherine Greenlee (Iolani) 17-3 3/4

2, Tiara Dole (St. Anthony) 17-3 3/4

4, Jessica Brown (Honoka'a) 17-1 3/4

5, Susan Gleed (Hawai'i Prep) 16-8 3/4

Triple jump

1, Mei Li Nickles (Mililani) 36-3 1/2

2, Talitha Liu (Punahou) 36-1

3, Samantha Cabreros (Punahou) 35-8 3/4

4, Catherine Greenlee (Iolani) 35-2 3/4

5, Angel Dunn (Baldwin) 33-7 1/2

Discus

1, Careena Onosai (Word of Life) 127-9

2, Keisha Siliga (Hilo) 125-11

3, Keani Santos (Kamehameha) 119-10

4, Monique Obra (Iolani) 119-7

5, Alexis San Nicolas (Leilehua) 117-0

Shot put

1, Krystal Moore (Hilo) 41-0

2, Careena Onosai (Word of Life) 38-3fl

3, Chante Ching (Hilo) 37-2 1/2

4, Kaha Weir (Punahou) 37-0

4, Rosela Fa'aiu (Farrington) 37-0

Pole vault

1, Anna Hildebrand (Punahou) 10-3

2, Courtney Cabebe (Maui) 9-9

3, Kaimana Rebolledo (Baldwin) 9-8

4, Tonya McBride (Kalaheo) 9-6

5, Lauren Pochereva (Punahou) 9-4 1/2

Boys

110 hurdles

1, Logan Taylor (Word of Life) 14.45

2, Ronald Belany (Maui) 14.99

3, Nathaniel Nasca (Pearl City) 15.05

4, Nicholas Smith (Wai'anae) 15.07

5, Tomasi Fuller (Kahuku) 15.34*

100

1, Troy Yamase (Waimea) 10.85

2, Nathaniel Nasca (Pearl City) 10.94

3, Derek Hinkley (Punahou) 11.00

3, Jensen Somera (Baldwin) 11.00

5, Clarence Alcoran (Ka'u) 11.01

1500

1, Joshua Enos (Kea'au) 4:12.56

2, Joseph Gonzales (Pearl City) 4:16.01

3, Joshua Mitchell ('Aiea) 4:16.46

4, Jeremy Kamakaala (Kamehameha) 4:16.77

5, Peter Deptula (Punahou) 4:17.55

4x100 relay

1, Kaiser 43.30

2, Kamehameha 43.53

3, Punahou 43.62

4, Kapolei 43.94*

5, Kahuku 44.04*

400

1, Keoni Cooper (Hilo) 50.38

2, Redmond Tutor (Kahuku) 50.87

3, Johnavi Darby (Kea'au) 50.99

4, Ahmad Upshaw (Leilehua) 51.02

5, Brian Ng (Konawaena) 51.26

300 hurdles

1, Ronald Belany (Maui) 39.56

2, Kyle Beck (Nanakuli) 40.04

3, Doug Kim (Baldwin) 40.29

4, Nicholas Smith (Wai'anae) 40.64*

5, Taylor Burrill (Maui) 41.01

800

1, Joshua Enos (Kea'au) 1:59.91

2, Bryson Pascua (Pearl City) 2:00.68

3, Dennis Swart (Kaiser) 2:01.34

4, Paul Nelson (Punahou) 2:01.74

5, Naoki Takamatsu (Mid-Pacific) 2:02.36

200

1, Joseph Locey (Kapa'a) 22.24*

2, Jensen Somera (Baldwin) 22.34*

3, Jareb-James Pacheco (St. Anthony) 22.69

4, Frank Bracewell (Kahuku) 22.71

5, Nick Frazier (Kamehameha) 22.74

3000

1, Ryan Shell (Radford) 9:23.87

2, Mykah Norville (Hoala) 9:27.60

3, Jeremy Kamakaala (Kamehameha) 9:29.85

4, Joshua Mitchell ('Aiea) 9:30.76

5, Kainoa Guerrin (Baldwin) 9:31.46

4x400 relay

1, Hilo 3:28.00

2, Kea'au 3:28.36

3, Kahuku 3:29.04

4, Kamehameha 3:30.42

5, Mililani 3:31.29

High jump

1, Akima Mokiao (Lahainaluna) 6-6

2, Waika Spencer (Kamehameha) 6-4 1/4

3, Kekoa Spenser (King Kekaulike) 6-3

3, Spencer Hafoka (Kahuku) 6-3

5, Matthew Maze (Hawai'i Prep) 6-2

5, Donovan Lim (Punahou) 6-2

5, Michael Alices (Kaiser) 6-2

Long jump

1, Johnavi Darby (Kea'au) 22-0fl

2, Jonovan Santos (Mililani) 21-6 1/4

3, Waika Spencer (Kamehameha) 21-5 1/2

4, Nathaniel Nasca (Pearl City) 21-3 1/4

5, Jeremy Wicker (Kailua) 21-3

Triple jump

1, David Doll (Waiakea) 45-7 1/4

2, Keoni Cooper (Hilo) 44-3

3, Saint Thompson (Mililani) 43-9

4, Kealoha Pilares (Damien) 43-4 1/2

4, Logan Taylor (Word of Life) 43-4 1/2

Discus

1, Brashton Satele (Word of Life) 176-2

2, Jonathan Kane (Kamehameha) 171-8

3, Abraham Demotta (Hilo) 153-2

4, Eli Medeiros (Hilo) 152-0

5, Kamuela Kapanui (Kaimuki) 150-1

Shot put

1, Jonathan Kane (Kamehameha) 54-1 3/4

2, Daniel Nesheim (Hawai'i Prep) 52-9

3, Quentin Beaver (Kahuku) 51-8

4, Tavita Vave (Maui) 50-1 1/2

5, Andrew Watson (Nanakuli) 50-0 3/4

Pole vault

1, Charles Fasi (Iolani) 14-0

1, Ronald Belany (Maui) 14-0

3, Kaniela Lyman-Mers (Punahou) 13-6

4, Evan Killips (Iolani) 13-0

4, Kendall Grimes (Punahou) 13-0