The fastest man in the BIIF looks ready to try and conquer the state.
Lukas Kuipers’ time of 10.97 seconds in the 100-meter dash Saturday deserves at least two asterisks next to it.
One to designate that the Hilo High senior’s school-record finish set a Keaau High stadium record – and another to illustrate how big of a deal that it is.
Consider that Cougars Stadium is not only a regular BIIF stop for track and field meets, but it’s also hosted two HHSAA championships, with a third on the way.
“It didn’t take us by surprise,” Vikings coach Bill McMahon said. “We thought he was on that path.”
Beating the 11-second threshold puts Kuipers, the defending BIIF champ in the 100 and 200, in exclusive company on the Big Island. In recent memory, only Konawaena’s Casey Flores, who holds the league championship record with a 10.84 in 1996, Kealakehe’s Avery Hardie-Jordan (10.92 in 2013) and Konawaena’s Luca Vartic (10.98 in 2015) have ran as fast.
Kuipers’s 10.97 ranks second in the state this season behind Damien junior Christian Padron, who recorded a 10.80 on March 25.
On Saturday in the 200, Kuipers blazed to a 22.70, a top-five time in the state and just a hair better than the finishes of teammate Kahale Huddleston (22.87 on March 11) and Konawaena’s Reyson Ching (22.89, April 8).
Kuipers’ personal-record in the 200 is a 22.51, which matches the school-record set by Charles Clay in 2009, but there’s an asterisk there as well.
There are no ties in Hilo’s record books, McMahon said, so Kuipers will have to beat his PR to claim the Vikings’ mark, all of which could be on his mind at this Saturday’s meet at Keaau.
“His (next) goal is to get the time down in the 200,” McMahon said.
To score enough points to click at BIIFs, Hilo likely will need Kuipers to anchor the Vikings to a 400 relay victory. They were third in the event Saturday, though two of Hilo’s fastest runners, Huddleston and Riley Patterson, were nursing injuries. McMahon hopes to have them back for BIIFs, which are May 5-6 at Keaau High.
The following week is the state meet, which the Cougars are hosting for the first time since 2012.
“Lukas would like to vie for a state title,” McMahon said. “He’s told us that.”
Other highlights
• Kamehameha’s Saydee Aganus swept both sprints and both hurdles, reaching PRs in the 100 (12.41) and 200 (26.10). Both times are N0. 2 in the state based on times going into last weekend.
• Waiakea senior Rylie Cabalse beat 2 minutes in the 800, recording a PR of 1:58.89 that puts him just three one-hundredths of a second off the state-best time this season.
• State contender Nicole Cristobal of Kealakehe looks to be rounding into form, winning the long jump (17-01.25) and triple jump (36-03.00).
• Hilo’s wahine throwers continue to dominate. Kayleen Funaki earned a PR and won the shot put with a heave of 38 feet, 10.75 inches as the Vikings took the top five spots. Mele Vaka claimed the discus as Hilo claimed the first four spots.
• Ching didn’t compete Saturday, but another top Konawaena point-scorer did as Hauoli Akau captured the 400 and long jump and ran on both of the Wildcats’ winning relay teams.
