HILO – Keaau senior Ivory Ayers almost walked out of the building without realizing she made a bit of history on the judo mat.
She beat Konawaena sophomore Kapoina Bailey in the 172-pound weight class for her fourth BIIF championship on Saturday at Waiakea’s gym.
Ayers batted 7 for 7 in her BIIF career as a judoka/wrestler. As a freshman, she didn’t turn out for wrestling.
She stands right below 2012 Kamehameha graduate Megan Aina, who went 8 for 8 and won a HHSAA tournament gold medal in both sports.
At state wrestling, Ayers has a gold (she defeated Bailey) and placed fourth and sixth.
At state judo, she has silver and bronze medals. The defending champ is back in Pearl City senior Jackie Fuamatu.
Last year, Ayers defeated Bailey for the 172 title at BIIFs for judo.
Three times they met for a title, and after her win Ayers’ first thought was about her opponent, not herself.
“I think she’s a sophomore, so she’ll have two more years to go,” said Ayers, who is 5 feet 10 and every inch of humble pie.
She had no relative concern about in her place in BIIF judo/wrestling history. With her 7 for 7 achievement, from now to eternity, Ayers’ place in the history books will be secure.
“My teammates will celebrate that more than me,” she said.
Keaau coach Miki Iaukea-Lum saw that response coming from a mile away.
“That’s her. That’s her personality,” Iaukea-Lum said. “She just so giving and is a good person to have on the team. The team can learn from her, and she can learn from the team. It’s nice to have players like that.”
Still, Ayers isn’t a robot. She has feelings, including hurdles that jump into her mind. But she’s mentally tough and carefree at the same time, which works out as a powerful combination.
“It was a lot of hard work,” she said. “I had a lot of anxiety, but it was fun.”
At the BIIF individual championships, Ayers was voted, by the league’s coaches, as the BIIF player of the year. Waiakea senior Kilar Fujimoto, who won the 121 title, was named the boys BIIF player of the year.
Iaukea-Lum had a tough time deciding what she likes best about Ayers as a judoka.
Is it her work ethic, technique, or mindset?
“She’s hard working, very focused and concentrates well,” Iaukea-Lum said. “She’s a well-rounded player. She has technique, and she’s mentally strong. She’s got a good mindset before anything.”
Ayers always had a good role model right in front of her in her sister Ebony, a 2016 Keaau graduate, who’s now wrestling at Southwestern Community College in Oregon.
She wants to join her sister Ebony at Southwestern and plans to go into law enforcement with an eye on joining the FBI.
Before that, Ivory Ayers has one more medal to chase at the HHSAA tournament on May 6 on Oahu.
If she should win gold or any other color, that would add to her grand collection. But Ayers would walk out the building before mentioning it to anyone.