HILO – By definition, Saturday’s BIIF track and field meet at Waiakea was one for the record books.
Every athlete that finished first at the league’s debut at Ken Yamase Memorial Stadium went home with a meet record, a technicality that wasn’t lost on many.
With all due respect to the other winners, Reyson Ching’s mark in the high jump meant a little more.
“I’m trying to see if I can get one at every stadium,” said Ching, a Konawaena senior.
Two down, two to go.
Ching reached 6 feet, 3 inches, not only a personal-best but also the top distance in the state this season. He said he just missed clearing 6-4.
“I was definitely close,” said Ching, who had to make a quick transition to the high jump after finishing second in the 200-meter dash.
In that race, he was just four one-hundredths of a second behind Hilo’s Lukas Kuipers, the defending BIIF champion in the event.
“Sometimes you want to save your legs, but the 200 was a pretty good warmup,” Ching said. “I just went for it.”
The next stop is Hawaii Prep this Saturday and he’ll no doubt try to better the 5-8 that he won the high jump with March 25 in Waimea. The week before that, Ching set a Paiea Stadium record (6-2) at Kamehameha, and he’ll have ample opportunity to perform at Keaau High, which is set to host four meets this year, including BIIFs and the HHSAA championships.
Kohala’s Meikle Kawai set the BIIF finals mark in 2010, clearing 6-4.
On a busy day, Ching also won the long jump with an effort of 20-07.25 – he’s still No. 1 in the state thanks to a 22-02 at Kamehameha on March 18 – took third in the 100, and he was a member of the winning 400 relay team.
All regular-season meets serve as exhibitions, but Konawaena’s 1,600 relay team, minus one of its top performers, Lawrence Barrett, bested Waiakea to outscore the Warriors 112-111.
“We didn’t have Lawrence, but people stepped up,” Ching said.
Hauoli Akau was a member of both relay victories, and he won the 400 in 50.58, ranking second in the state. He ranks third in the triple jump.
Rylie’s run
For the first time in a while, the boys distance races don’t feel like a race for second.
Waiakea senior Rylie Cabalse wasn’t just running around his home track for the first time in a competitive meet, he’s also still getting used to running without Louie Ondo, a distance runner who pocketed eight BIIF golds the past three years for the Warriors.
As for for the home debut, Cabalse said, “A track is a track.”
But life without Louie is still taking some time to get used to, both in competitions and at practice.
“It’s definitely harder without him,” Cabalse said, “He was a good push, and honestly I miss him a a lot.”
Without Barrett pressuring pushing him, Cabalse won the 800 in 2 minutes, 4.21 seconds and the 1,500 in 4:21.75, a BIIF-best this season.
“It feels good to have a new champion this year,” he said. “I wish that Lawrence was here. He’s the guy to beat.”
Cabalse was also a member of a 1,600 relay team that posted its best time of the year but still finished more than four seconds behind Konawaena.
He said the squad misses Michael Scott, who won 400 last season but isn’t running track this season.
Hilo throw backs
In 2013, Hilo used strong performances by its girls in the discus and shot put to claim the BIIF championship.
This season, veteran coach Bill McMahon said his wahine throwers are even better.
Kayleen Funaki, Kamalani Alves, Mele Vaka, Molini Vaka and Leona Toledo swept the top five spots in the shot put, while Mele Vaka, Molini Vaka and Leona Toledo were the top three finishers in the discus, with Alves fifth.
“This is one of the best throwing squads we’ve ever had,” McMahon said. “The depth is what surprises me. We have seven girls who have qualified for states in the shot, and you can only bring three.
“Practice is competitive. It’s a four-hour practice everyday.”
Mele Vaka’s effort of 119 feet in the discus is the third-best in Hawaii, and Molini Vaka ranks fourth as the Vikings occupy five spots in the top 11.
None of the Hilo throwers have a BIIF title to their credit yet, but Mele Vaka was sixth at states in 2016.
“They have an axe to grind,” McMahon said.
But don’t expect a another BIIF title run like of four years ago, he said, because Hilo doesn’t have the depth in other events.
“I think the best is Kamehameha,” McMahon said. “Six really really good girls that they are going to spread over events, and they are all high quality.”
The Vikings’ boys depth is a little more spread out, led by the sprinters.
Kuipers is also the defending champion in the 100, and this season he’s being pushed by teammates Kahale Huddleston and Riley Patterson, who have the potential to fill three-fourths of a strong 400 relay team.
“We’re hoping to,” McMahon said. “We haven’t gotten the baton around the track yet, but we have fast guys.
“We’d like to be able to be in the mix this year, but we understand that Kona is really strong and the team to beat.”
Other highlights
• One of the BIIF’s best athletes, Kamehameha junior Saydee Aganus put up three more fast times, claiming the 300 hurdles (state-best 46.34), 100 hurdles (14.56, No. 2), 100 dash (12.51, No. 2), and she ran with the winning 400 relay team.
• Kamehameha freshman Chenoa Frederick ran on the 400 relay, finished second behind Aganus in the 100, and she won the 200 and triple jump.
• Kealakehe senior Nicole Cristobal reached 16-09.75 in the long jump, fourth-best in the state.
• Waiakea’s Saya Yabe won the 800 and 3,000, and both times were season-bests for the senior.