Hawaii Outdoors: April 6th- April 12th Top Performers and Breakthroughs
Hawaii athletes were busy competing across a packed slate of meets last week, highlighted by the Kamehameha Invitational, along with mainland competition at the Arcadia Invitational. Across the islands and beyond competitors delivered performances that made an impact on the state rankings.
Sprints
On the boys side, Jayden Grevious (Moanalua) led the way with a wind-legal 10.53 in the 100 meters at the Arcadia Invitational, and doubled back to ru 21.24 in the 200 meters. Kaumaka Olson (Kamehameha Schools Maui) and Jonah Cariaga (Maui) also ran competitive times that placed near the top of the Kamehameha Invitational fields.
Among the week's biggest breakthroughs, Zane Kepa (Farrington) dropped from 12.21 to 11.67 in the 100 meters at the OIA JV Western Division Championships, moving to #8 among sophomores. He also improved in the 200 meters, running 24.35, a drop from his previous best mark of 25.04. Alyzus Amay (Waiakea) also showed progress in the short sprints, running 23.21 in the 200 meters to move to #5 among juniors. He added a slight PR in the 100 meters as well, clocking 11.69.
On the girls side, Violet Schaut (Konawaena) swept the sprint titles at the Kamehameha Invitational, running 11.99 in the 100 and 24.55 in the 200. She was followed by Emily Sparks (Punahou) in both events, while underclassmen Alexis Loftin (Leilehua) and Hayden Wong (Punahou) made strong appearances in the finals.
A key improvement came from Raine Lopez (Kamehameha Schools Maui), who ran 12.67 in the 100 meters to improve from 13.07, moving to #12 in Hawaii. She also posted a PR of 26.97 in the 200 meters.
Distance Events
Adarra Thomas (Mililani) delivered one of the top distance performances of the week, winning the 3000 meters in 11:00.11 at the OIA JV Eastern Division Championships. The freshman improved by over 40 seconds from her previous best and now ranks #9 in Hawaii and #1 among freshmen. She also broke five minutes in the 1500 meters for the first time, running 4:59.96.
Neveah Jones (Pearl City) added another standout freshman performance, running 5:00.00 in the 1500 meters to move to #11 in the state and #2 among freshmen. She improved in the 800 meters, too, dropping to 2:31.08 from her previous best of 2:35.52.
On the boys side, Zayden Sauceda (Maui) cut nearly 20 seconds off his previous PR in the 3000 meters, running 9:52.53 to rank #4 among freshmen.
At the top end, Rocco Calandra (Kaiser) led the 1500 meters, going 4:08.24, while Jayden Noriega (Mililani) won the 3000 meters in 9:15.77 after placing fourth in the 1500 at the Kamehameha Invitational. In the 800 meters, James Millare (Moanalua) posted a strong 1:53.13 at Arcadia.
On the girls side, Destiny Look (Mid-Pacific Institute) won the 100-meter hurdles in 14.20 and continued her strong all-around showing across multiple events. Faith Mataele (Kahuku) took the 300-meter hurdles title in 45.73, followed closely by Rustee Meyers (Kahuku).
Relays
At the Kamehameha Invitational St. Louis School led the boys 4x100 with a 42.97, while Iolani School took the 4x400 in 3:28.09 ahead of Mililani and Kamehameha Schools Maui.
On the girls side, Punahou School claimed the 4x100 title in 48.36, while Mililani High School won the 4x400 in 4:11.30, narrowly ahead of Punahou.
Field Events
Tevita Paongo (Campbell) delivered a massive improvement in the discus, throwing 159-1 to win the Kamehameha Invitational. The mark was significantly further than his previous best of 129-5, set a school record, and ranks #3 in Hawaii - #2 among seniors.
In the girls pole vault, Allie Kennedy (Kamehameha Schools Maui) cleared 12-0 to win the event, raise her school record, and snag the #1 spot in Hawaii among seniors, all while improving from 11-9.
Elsewhere, Kealakalehuaonakaiewalu (Punahou) cleared 14-6 to lead the boys pole vault, while Kaikila Ripp (Kahuku) posted a 21-11 mark to top the boys long jump. In the girls horizontal jumps, Destiny Look continued her strong meet in the hurdles with wins in both the long jump (18-4) and triple jump (38-3.25).
Overview
The past week highlighted a strong mix of early-season consistency and rapid improvement across Hawaii. Freshmen made a significant impact in the distance events, while several athletes across sprints and field events posted major personal bests that reshaped the state rankings. With championship meets approaching, these performances signal a rapidly rising level of competition across the islands.