Two athletes posted state times, and more than a dozen made the state consideration standard as the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation opened its track season Thursday with the first qualifying meet at Vidinha Stadium.
Kawehi Louis-Diamond of Kaua‘i High School and Rachel Hinkel of Kapa‘a High School resumed their battle from 2011 —sans Waimea’s Jamie Jacinto, who graduated in 2011.
Both Louis-Diamond and Hinkel posted state times in the Girls 100 Meter Hurdles, Louis-Diamond taking top honors with a state-qualifying 15.60, a full second ahead of Hinkel, who also qualified for the states with a 16.60.
The state standard based on the 2011 Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association is 16.64 for this event.
But the order flip-flopped in the 300 Meter High Hurdles when Hinkel topped the field on a 50.19 run over Louis-Diamond’s 51.72 run, both times getting the state consideration (51.94) nod.
Louis-Diamond also returned to the 200 Meter track, something she inaugurated last year, finishing second (28.24) to Waimea’s Taylor Gaspar (28.14) coming off a strong showing in the Junior Varsity basketball program.
Louis-Diamond was also part of the Kaua‘i 4×100 Relay team which bettered the consideration standard (54.44) with its first finish, stopping the clock at 53.18, almost two seconds faster than the second finishing Kapa‘a team (55.02).
She rounded out her evening by topping the Girls Triple Jump, earning a consideration leap (32-04.00) along with teammate Reanna Javinar, Louis-Diamond landing at 33-07.50 and Javinar settling at 33-03.75.
Kristle Henry, also coming off a strong KIF girls basketball season, opened with a second finish in the 100 Meter Dash but topped the Girls Long Jump with a state consideration leap of 15-04 coming on her third and final jump of the night. Although not listed on the final results, Henry came up just short of consideration on the High Jump, clearing 4-08, falling short on the consideration 4-10.
Henry, finishing second to Kapa‘a’s Kehaulani Relacion in the Girls 100 Meter Dash, earned a consideration run with her 13.32. Relacion also got a consideration nod with her top finish 13.21.
Island School’s Joy Claypoole, also coming off a strong basketball season as a Voyager guard, made her move to the top of the Girls 1500 Meter Run, the 5:24.26 run getting a consideration nod.
Waimea High School boys made a strong statement early in the meet, putting top finishers in each of the four heats in the Boys 100 Meter Dash.
The result was a Waimea top finish in the Boys 4×100 Relay. The Menehune runners stopped the clock at 45.44 for a state consideration run.
In the Boys 100 Meter Dash, Cameron Twiggs edged out Kapa‘a’s Zavier Cummings (11.77) by .09 second in the first heat, Twiggs’ 11.48 falling short of the consideration standard 11.44.
Cummings was consistent for Kapa‘a, moving from his second finish in the 100 Dash to a second finish in the 200 Meter Dash on a 24.26 to first finisher Mason Manera of Kaua‘i who stopped the clock at 23.75, missing the consideration 23.44 by just a breath.
Waimea’s Cullen Gutierrez topped the 300 Meter Hurdles on a 44.09, just falling short of the consideration 44.04.
Kapa‘a came up strong in the field events, Treston Brede and Joshua Cram taking 1-2 in the High Jump and posting consideration leaps. Brede topped 5-10, besting the consideration leap of 5-08 while Cram finished second with a consideration leap of 5-08.
McKenna Lopez-Estacio of Kaua‘i, finishing first in the Shot Put and the Discus, pegged a consideration put of 42-08.25, bettering the consideration 41-08.25 by a foot. His first finish discus throw of 130-07 came up short of the consideration 136-01.
The track meet continues with Qualifying Meet No. 2 beginning at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Vidinha Stadium.
There is no admission charge for the qualifying meets.
