University of Hawaii at Hilo cross country coach Jaime Guerpo scored a major victory, and it wasn’t on a race course.
Guerpo, in his 17th year, landed Alexandra Bielli, a freshman from Gloversville, N.Y., who was also recruited by Hawaii Pacific.
The 5-foot-6 Bielli ran cross country for one year and won her district’s championship at Gloversville High. She also competed in track, and captured the 1,000 and 1,500 meters.
“Alex contacted me and was looking into marine science and wanted to run,” Guerpo said. “I got her to come out and visit the campus. She’s from a small town and didn’t like Oahu.
“HPU was recruiting her and offered her a lot more. But she turned them down. I’m looking at her to be our top runner.”
The Sharks graduated two-time PacWest runner of the year Fiona McKenna, who was sixth at the NCAA Division II championships, the highest finish in school history.
It would have been a pebble-in-a-shoe agony if Bielli became a Shark and tormented the Vulcans for the next four years.
Instead, Guerpo was able to offer Bielli a tuition waiver (about 10 grand) and a little bit of scholarship money to fly more than 4,800 miles to run for UHH, which was 11th out of 13 schools at last year’s PacWest championships.
She gives the Vuls a solid 1-2 punch with sophomore Anna Mikkelsen, from Denmark.
Bielli and Mikkelsen will have a few things to talk about when they’re running far ahead of the other Vulcans. Mikkelsen is also a marine science major.
Mikkelsen was 39th in 24 minutes, 36 seconds at the PacWest championships, and the only UHH runner to compete at the NCAA Division II West Regional, where she was 131st in 24:36.
“Anna is up and up with Alex. They’ll be the ones to carry the team,” Guerpo said. “More important, the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 runners will have to concentrate on their times and get closer to Alex and Anna.
“That’s what the goal is for them to be closer. When you get closer, you have better team scores, and the lower you place the better. The two girls will work their way up there and do their thing. The other three will start in the middle and work their way up.”
Kaylee Rapozo, a junior and 2013 Hilo gradate, will be in the mix for one of the three open starting spots, along with Crystal-Lynn Baysa, a 2015 Kamehameha graduate. Another candidate is sophomore June Garrett, who was 67th in 27:33 at the PacWest championships.
“Kaylee has really blossomed into a leader. She’s not vocal, but she means what she says,” Guerpo said. “She’s got a really good sense of direction. I don’t need to say something, and she’ll know what I’m thinking.”
UHH decreased funding in 2010 and eliminated the men’s program. The Vulcans finished sixth in the conference in 2010, eighth the next year, 12th in 2012, ninth in ’13 and 11th last year.
The PacWest championships are Oct. 24 at Cal Baptist. Guerpo is hoping for a higher finish than in previous years. It’s a tough deal competing against schools with more financial resources, but the longtime coach is undeterred.
“Every year we’re getting better since the program was cut five years ago,” he said. “I’m thinking top seven or better. Once we get our first race out of the way we’ll see what our team is like.
“Most of the girls are on partial scholarships. The out-of-state ones have tuition waivers. That’s how we got Alex to come. We’re a better team with our new girls than previous years.”