By Harlie Bates-Hudgin
[email protected]
The cross country Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) championship was a difficult competition for many participants. Held on Oct. 19, the girls from MHS won third place overall. Sophomore Vanessa Roybal took first place individually with a time of 19:25 in the three-mile run with 101 contestants.
“I was confident that I had prepared (for the competition) but I was a little nervous ‘cause you never know what’s going to happen,” said Roybal, “(Like) having a bad day or if the (rest of the) competition really wants (to win).”
The competitors were tough. “Kaiser was really strong this year. Strongest that I’ve seen in a long time,” said Head Coach Nathan Aragaki, “We had (an) outside shot, but we try to keep their spirits up so they were pretty motivated so we just kind of went with that. They tried their best, and they did (their best).”
Aragaki wasn’t the only one who was satisfied with the results of the competition. “Overall, I’m extremely proud of my team. We were encouraging each other all week and everyone gave their all,” said Captain Senior Taylar Sabin. “We were only six points behind the second place team.”
Many runners had slight injuries during the competition. “A couple girls have sore hip muscles and I think it’s more of the JV girls that moved up to varsity and I think it’s due to the course we ran for the JV championship and varsity OIA championship,” said Sabin, “Part of the course is down a hill at an angle, so it wasn’t balanced ground.”
Despite the minor injuries, runners in the top 35 were rewarded for their hard work. “All the girls who qualified made it in the top 35, so they qualified for a 90 dollar stipend toward their trip to Kauai (to participate in the State Championship). I’m extremely proud of everyone, I couldn’t be more proud to be their captain,” said Sabin.
The girls who participated in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) State Championship on Oct. 25 took fifth place overall. The State championship ended the cross country season on a good note.
