It's a clean sweep for Mililani
| • | OIA Track and Field Championships results |
By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer
MILILANI — On paper it looked good. The reality was even better.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
The Mililani boys and girls track and field teams swept the O'ahu Interscholastic Association championships yesterday at their home track.
Moanalua freshman Tasia Thomas, center, wins the 100-meter dash in 12.88 seconds. Thomas also won the 200, 400 and long jump.
"It looked good for us in the beginning, but that was only on paper; the girls had to produce," Mililani girls coach Dane Matsunaga said.
The girls won the title with 99 points, with Moanalua second with 78 and Radford third with 75.
The Mililani boys won with 100 points, followed by Kahuku with 86 and Kapolei with 53.
"I scored the meet beforehand, and I had Kahuku winning by 20 points," Mililani boys coach Chad Miyamoto said. "It took a lot of heart and determination. They knew coming in they had a shot at it."
Both Mililani teams entered the 4x400-meter relay, the final event, with enough of a cushion that its outcome wouldn't matter — although the athletes didn't know that.
"We knew it was close, but we didn't know how close, so we knew we still had to run," said sophomore Britney Stephens, who ran the anchor leg of the Trojans winning relay.
"Our coach was telling us we were behind the whole time," said senior Jonovan Santos, who ran on the Mililani boys' second-place 4x400 relay, and won the long jump (21-11.5). "I was happy because we all did a good job. (Winning the title) was extra."
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Santos also picked up second-place finishes in the 100, 200, and 4x100 relay.
Farrington's Joshua Villoria rejoices after winning the 100-meter dash in 11.25 seconds.
Mililani's other individual champions were Mark Wetter in the 300 hurdles (40.25), Matt Montoya in the pole vault (13-0), and David Aponte in the triple jump (41-6). The Trojan boys scored a point in 11 of 16 events.
It was different for the Mililani girls, who didn't have an individual champion, but won the 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays. They scored a point in 13 of 16 events.
"We had people placing in about every event, and it kind of added up as the meet went on," said Matsunaga, who credited senior captains Sara Mitman, Ciera Senas, Jennifer Henna and Michelle Lee.
Moanalua freshman Tasia Thomas, who just moved up from junior varsity, won the long jump (17 feet, 3 inches), and the 100 (12.88), 200 (26.09) and 400 (60.99).
"I tried my best, but I can always do better," Thomas said. "I always feel like there's room for improvement."
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
She said the biggest surprise for her was winning the 400, because "I'm usually in third or fourth place."
Pearl City's Joshua Fial, right, knocks over a hurdle as Kahuku's Spencer Hafoka closes in to eventually win the 110-meter event in 15.35 seconds.
Moanalua junior Courtney Clement also took home individual titles, and set meet records, in the 1,500 (4:59.77) and 3,000 (11:11.2).
She broke the record in the 1,500 set in 2002 by Leilani Kaluhiokalani-Myers of Castle (5:02.71) and the 3,000 set by Kari Tanimoto of Pearl City (11:11.62) in 2002. Clement ran a 11:02.24 in the meet's trials Thursday.
"There wasn't a long enough break in between," said Clement, who transferred from Texas and said at track meets there, the 3,000 was run at 9 a.m. and the 1,500 at night. "If I had a longer break, I would have done better. I wanted to do better."
The only other athlete to win multiple events was Pearl City senior Bryson Pascua, who won the 800 (1:59.90) and 1,500 (4:22.66).
Kahuku set the only boys record of the meet, when its boys 4x100-meter relay team of Spencer Hafoka, Al Afalava, Mauhe Moala and AJ Victoria finished in 43.29, breaking the meet record set last year by Kaiser (43.30).
"I'm just really stunned," Hafoka said. "It felt like we could have done better. I just felt like it was a normal 4x100. I think it was because the competition was pushing us."
Hafoka also won the 110-meter hurdles, catching Pearl City's Joshua Fial with two hurdles to go.
"I just had to push," Hafoka said. "He was the guy to beat and I had nothing to lose."
Farrington senior Joshua Villoria, one of the premier sprinters in the state, captured the 100 in 11.25 seconds, despite running with a right hamstring injury that he said limited him to about 80 percent capability.
"I wasn't running on my power, I was running on God's power," said Villoria, who did not compete in the 200 to rest his leg. "I'm just happy I made it this far. It felt actually pretty good; a lot of prayer went into it."
Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.
