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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, April 13, 2008

PREPS
Leilehua boys, Mililani girls tops in West track and field

Photo gallery: OIA West track and field

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Mililani's Courtney Senas is seen in mid-air before coming down with a distance of 16 feet, 5 1/2 inches on her first attempt in the girls varsity long jump.

Photos by JOAQUIN SIOPACK | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Leilehua's Alan Akagi nears the finish to win the boys varsity 800-meter run in 2 minutes, 3.27 seconds at Leilehua High School.

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MILILANI — Senior distance runner Paul Williams broke two meet records last night to help Leilehua capture the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Western Division championship at John Kauinana Stadium.

Meanwhile, Mililani continued its decades-long West dominance on the girls side led by two victories each by sophomores Kristi Ali Keith and Courtney Senas.

Williams won the 1500 in 4 minutes, 9.42 seconds, easily beating the previous meet record of 4:14.58 set by Mililani's Robby Phillip in 1999. Later, Williams shattered the meet record in the 3000 by posting a blistering time of 9:07.13. The previous record of 9:25.9 was set by Radford's Andrew Maixner in 2003.

"That came out of nowhere," Williams said of his 3000 time. "My coach has worked with me on my strides, and I was hoping to peak at the right time, for the OIA (championships) and states. It feels so good to get the records and win the team title at the same time. It was a great team effort."

The Mules won on the strength of solid performances all the way around.

Leilehua senior Alan Akagi won the 800 in 2:03.27, and Williams took second. Another Mules senior, Aaremy Palomares, won the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 8 inches, and classmates Sean Kenigton and Akagi took second and third, respectively.

Palomares also took fourth in the triple jump.

Leilehua's 4x400 relay team of Jon Chun, Donzel Scott, Akagi, and Alexander Cruz won in 3:29.24, edging Mililani by 1/10th of a second. Mule seniors Haani Aifaoto and Kawika Fuga took third and fourth, respectively, in the discus, and Aifaoto and yet another senior, Chris Atualevao, took second and sixth in the shot put.

The field points were especially valuable since runner-up Radford put on an impressive performance on the track.

The Rams' 4x100 relay team of Donniqtay Campbell, Jon Atangan, Ikaika Kamaka and Christopher Rainey set a meet record with a time of 42.97 seconds, eclipsing the previous record of 43.7 set by Kapolei in 2004.

Rainey, a recent transfer from St. Louis, Mo., won the 100 in an impressive time of 10.91 seconds and the 400 in an equally impressive 50.28, narrowly missing the mark of 50.10 set by Mark Brackenhoff in 1985.

Rainey also won the 200 in 22.37 seconds.

"He's a pure track guy, the kind you would see at a Mainland event," Radford coach Sid Patton said. "He makes our team better, because everyone's excited to come to practice."

Senas, an Advertiser All-State softball shortstop as a freshman in 2007, won the long jump and triple jump despite limited practice time. She is busy helping No. 1-ranked Mililani fight for an OIA West softball title.

Senas won the long jump with a mark of 17 feet and the triple jump with a leap of 34 feet, 8 inches.

Ali Keith barely won the 1500 and 3000, edging Leilehua's Savannah Lowrie both times. Ali Keith's 1500 time of 5:19.49 was a nose better than Lowrie's 5:19.50, and her 12:59.78 in the 3000 was less than two seconds faster than Lowrie's 13:01.15.

Another Trojans sophomore, Abigail McKoy, won the high jump with a leap of 5 feet.

"She (McKoy) works super hard, she's a bulldog mentally," said Mililani coach Marshall Ochi, who estimated this West title to be the Trojans' 23rd in a row. "She did all three jumps and two relays, so she was dead tired at the end."

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.