KEAAU — Death, taxes, Emma Taylor and Louie Ondo — and not necessarily in that order.
The BIIF’s untouchables paved the way for their teams’ title repeats Saturday, with Hawaii Prep’s Taylor and Waiakea’s Ondo each grabbing three golds as records fell early and often at the BIIF track and field championships at Kamehameha’s Paiea Stadium.
It ended, fittingly, with each senior wearing crowns as male and female athlete of the meet, and Ondo, the long-distance runner, bowing down to Taylor, the hurdler.
“She’s excellent,” Ondo said.
Taylor was responsible for two of the seven championship records that were set during the two-day meet. She ran an eye-popping 14.18 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles, beating her personal-record by nearly half a second, and she almost a set a PR in winning the 300 hurdles in 43.77 for another mark.
It was the 100 that caught her off-guard, which is saying a lot considering Taylor is five-time state champion hurdler.
“I didn’t think I could run that time even in college,” said Taylor, who appreciated the competition of Kamehameha’s Saydee Aganus, the runner-up. “Saydee is a huge part of this.”
Taylor will at least look to match her time in the 100 hurdles at the HHSAA championships, May 6-7 at Kamehameha-Kapalama.
“I don’t want this to be a one-time thing,” she said.
She also claimed her first 200 sprint, giving her seven BIIF golds in a championship career that started inauspiciously when she fell as a freshman in the 100 hurdles.
“I think I’ve been so scared of falling ever since that I make it a point to get over them,” she said.
With Savannah Cochran winning the 800 and 1,500, Ka Makani scored 131 points, with Hilo (93) second and Waiakea (82) third.
Ondo owns eight career golds after sweeping the 800, 1,500 and 3,000 for the second consecutive year. He also owns the championship mark in each race after winning the 1,500 in 4.05.22 as Waiakea easily overtook runner-up Konawaena, 116-94.5, for the title. Kamehameha (82.5) was third.
“I don’t know where to start when talking about by teammates,” he said. “They all impressed me.”
Michael Scott won the 400 in 51.28 and anchored the Warriors’ 1,600 relay victory, but it was Ondo who scored the most, even picking up points with a fourth-place finish in the 200, his favorite event of the day.
“I had to show that distance runners can sprint to,” he said. “We’re not only distance runners.”
In all, five championship records were set Saturday and one was tied.
Kamehameha’s Tre Evans-Dumaran lowered his state-best time in the 110 hurdles with a mark of 14.36 before falling in the early-going of the 300 hurdles. Kealakehe’s Nicole Cristobal broke the record in the triple jump with a leap of 37 feet, 2.50 inches that ranks her No. 1 in the state. In the 100, Aganus equaled the finals mark, winning in 12.47.
She also won the long jump (17-00.75) and anchored the Warriors to a 400 relay victory, adding bronze and silver in the hurdles.
Konawaena’s Hauoli Akau pocketed three golds and five medals as well, winning the long jump (21.04.25) and anchoring a 400 relay victory before coming from behind to claim the triple jump with a leap of 44-09.75.
“It came down to that last one and I popped it,” Akau said. “Everyone out here surprised me in the jumps. They were jumping a foot past their personal-bests. They came out of nowhere.”
Also
• Hilo’s Lukas Kuipers swept the 100 and 200, winning in 11.00 and 22.85.
• Keaau’s Damion Scandrick took gold in the high jump (5-10) and 300 hurdles (40.00).
• The championship-record throw of 38-8.50 on Friday by Hilo’s Kaycee Nathaniel held up for shot put gold. The other throwing winners were Pahoa’s Kili Oliveira (46-8.75) in the shot put and Nika Paogofie-Buyten (123-08) of Kealakehe and Kamehameha’s Brandyn Lee-Lehano (147-00) in the discus.
• The Konawaena girls got a victory from Leina Ann Takizawa (1.00.26) in the 400, while Cherilyn Molina and Celena Molina powered a 1,600 relay win.
• Rowan Kotner scored another victory for HPA, winning the pole vault (9-6).
• One of the best finishes of the day came in the girls 3,000, where Honokaa freshman Sophia Cash (11:07.54) had a final kick to overtake Waiakea’s Saya Yabe (11:07.97), giving her a gold to add to the one she won in cross-country in the fall.
“I felt that little energy in me and just let it all out,” Cash said. “I was grateful to have everyone around me. Everyone was so full of energy.”
Taylor and Ondo felt it the most.
