The consensus opinion around the Kealakehe track program is that Keili Dorn is one of the hardest working athletes around.
The West Hawaii Explorations Academy senior — who competes in sports for Kealakehe — added to that reputation this week, racing Friday in the Honolulu Marathon Track and Field Meet on Oahu, and then flying in to Hilo to meet her team for a BIIF meet at Keaau on Saturday.
Dorn — a distance specialist who finished third overall during the BIIF cross-country season — has dominated the 800-meter, 1,500 and 3,000 in her debut track season. She is unbeaten in the BIIF in all three events, and holds the school record in all three.
Against some of the best competition in the state at the Oahu meet, Dorn finished sixth in the 1,500 at 5:04.13 and seventh in the 3,000 with a time of 11:11:11. Both were her best times this season.
“We decided to send her over there to have people push her,” Kealakehe track coach Duke Hartfield said. “It was an opportunity to get her into a meet where a lot of the top runners would be.”
As an encore to her Oahu showing, Dorn continued her unbeaten streak in the BIIF, outrunning the field in the 800-meter at Keaau with a 2:28.76. She edged Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s Savannah Cochran (2:29.74).
“I never went into track or cross-country thinking I could be competitive,” said Dorn who adds track to her lengthy high school sports resume that includes soccer, cross-country and volleyball. “I wanted to do it for fun, but when I found out I was good at it my competitive side took over.”
The competitive side that keeps Dorn at the front of the pack is a trait she picked up as the youngest of four. She cites her brother, Kevin Dorn, as her role model. Kevin— a top distance athlete in his own right at Makua Lani before graduating in 2009 — inspired Keili to get into cross-country.
“He taught me how to stay humble and to put being a good, respectful competitor first,” said Dorn. “There is so much more to life than being competitive.”
Dorn spent two years at Makua Lani before heading to Germany for a full year as a foreign exchange student. Hartfield is ecstatic to have Dorn and thinks her contributions are helping shape the Waveriders into a potential BIIF championship squad.
“HPA and Hilo have always had such great long distance kids. Now, that balance has shifted a bit,” he said.
As her year long excursion to Germany indicates, Dorn enjoys new experiences, which also carries over to track. She has a pair of second place finishes to her name in the 400-meter and high jump.
“She will do anything. She came to me the other day and asked me if she could run the 200. Another day it was pole vaulting,” said Hartfield. “She shows up every day and works her butt off.”
NOTES: HPA senior Ula Brostek also competed at the Honolulu Marathon Track and Field Meet in discus and shot put. She placed fifth in discus with a 105-4, and third in shot put at 36-7. She is currently ranked fifth in the state in shot put and sixth in discus… The BIIF is currently home to the state’s three best triple jumpers. Hilo’s Mehana Sabado-Halpern currently holds the best mark at 36-2.25 set on Saturday at Keaau, with previous record-holder Nicole Cristobal of Kealakehe close behind at 35-11. Meagan Kualii of Kamehameha-Hawaii is third (35-7.5)…The Kealakehe 4X100 relay team of Hii Manoi, Nicole Fudala, Kiana Fudala and Alyssa Gamache is ranked fifth in the state…Waiakea’s Louie Ondo is currently third in the state in the 800-meter (2:00.41)…HPA junior Emma Taylor is ranked first in 100-meter hurdles and second in the 300-hurdles (45.81), just .05 seconds behind the state’s best time.