By Jacob Balatico

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On Aug. 31, MHS female runners went head to head against other Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) schools in a cross country meet at Aiea High School. MHS runners placed in the top five and top 10.

“It was a great way to start the season, especially since the team did so well,” said Sophomore Vanessa Roybal.

The runners who placed at the Aiea cross country meet included Roybal, who placed first and Sophomore Payton Sabin, who placed fourth. “It felt good,” said Roybal, “It was the first time I had run under 20 minutes for the three-mile (run) and I was able to beat a strong runner from the Pearl City team.” Sabin added, “I have worked so hard this year and being able to prove that I have gotten better, along with the team getting better and working hard, made me feel great.”

The girls’ sense of accomplishment was a mutual one, shared between runners and their coach. “I was very happy and surprised (Roybal) won because the competition included a state medalist from Pearl City High School,” expressed Head Coach Nate Aragaki, “I know she’s finally realizing her potential. I’ve (also) been quite pleased with Payton Sabin. It takes more than one person to win the JV championship and they are beating all the other schools’ best runners so far.”

The runner’s victories were the result of numerous hours of training and dedication. Their training routine includes a variation of courses that can span from around four to nine miles on weekdays, with the exception of Fridays. “Training has been going well,” said Aragaki, “They are more experienced than last year so they can handle more and don’t have all the injuries that new runners would have. It helps because I can make more challenging workouts so the better runners can really excel. Even after three races, I haven’t heard one person say they were scared.”

The MHS cross country team is currently preparing for the upcoming Mililani Invitational on Sept. 28, which will be a three mile course.