Preview

The focus shifts to national ranked teams

By Rich Gonzalez, DyeStat coverage team

In just four short years, the Hawaii-based Iolani Invitational has skyrocketed to become recognized as among the nation’s most respected and prestigious high school cross-country invitationals, with its collection of individual champions in recent years reading like a venerable Who’s Who list of running talent. Now, it appears the “Iolani experience” is set to break new ground, ready to showcase teams regarded as some of the finest in our nation’s history.

Meet officials have also gone the extra step in aiming to make this year’s Iolani Invitational a cut above previous versions, upping their off-season recruiting efforts with several top-notch programs, then having the foresight to adjust the time schedule so that competitors will compete earlier in the day under less humid conditions... which also allows for more post-race time to frolic on the beach and work on those tans!

Here is a quick synopsis of some of the top teams/athletes entered (to those coaches who replied on time to our team survey requests, we thank you!):

GIRLS TEAMS

Sultana High (Hesperia, CA) is the favorite to claim the team championship here, boasting every team member back from a squad that set the all-time team-time records on both of California’s hallowed benchmark layouts: the Mt. SAC course and the Woodward Park course. Ranked third nationally to start the season, the Sultans have all-star leadership in senior captain Kelsey Delagardelle, with fellow seniors Stacy Tabuena and Kelsey Camara also registering as true pillars of consistency. Junior Shadee’ Duarte and sophomore Danielle Varela (who won the CIF-SS individual crown and was on the 2002 Freshmen All-American team) are also huge components here.

Another of the premier programs on the national scene being showcased on meet weekend will be Snohomish High of Washington area. The Panthers will seek to upset third-ranked Sultana here in improving its portfolio on the national rankings scene. The defending state 4-A champions, Snohomish returns six from a group expected to battle rival Bellarmine for statewide honors. Lucy Miller, Amanda Mowers, Ashley Meyer, Amanda Stopa, Alyssa Modrell, Kim Holland and Jacque Wiseman are the projected entrants here for a great group that has been crowned District champion 10 of the last 13 years, with three state championships during that stretch.

Peninsula High (Rolling Hills Estates, CA) is another national-caliber program set to compete here, finding itself in great position to prove it was truly overlooked in the pre-season Harrier national poll. Senior Olga-Aulet Leon leads a Panthers program with a top-end tradition considered the best in California state history among girls teams, a true first-class entrant into the annual Iolani affair. Junior Brooke Lademan and sophomores Brittany Morreale and Erica Freebury are other top scorers in the mix for the vaunted Penn program.

Ukiah High (Northern California) returns to Iolani (the school laid claim to 2001 Iolani and eventual Foot Locker national champion Amber Trotter), with veteran coach Jerry Drew’s 2003 collection well stocked to make noise in the statewide wars this fall. All-state performer Shelby Leland will aim to be the second Ukiah athlete to claim an Iolani crown, leading all scorers back from a squad placing third in the mega-powerful North Coast Section Championships last fall.

South Whidbey High of the Northwest Washington area should be a factor here, with the 2A powerhouse looking to returning standouts Mary Bakeman, Nancy Godsey and Callie Supsinskas in improving upon last year’s runner-up placing at the state championships. Several top programs are taking shape in this region of the country, so South Whidbey looks to again some top-level racing experience this weekend.

Redlands East Valley HS of Southern California’s Inland Empire brings an impressive tradition to the table here, with the five-time defending Citrus Belt League champions seeking a sixth consecutive trip to the CIF-Southern Section Divisional Championships - a rare feat indeed! Junior Aracely Hernandez, a two-time all Citrus Belt League performer, leads the Wildcats.

Eisenhower High of Yakima welcomes back a trio from last year’s Washington State Divisional runners-up, entering 2003 as the #8-ranked team in its state division. Sophomore Samantha Dahlstrom and senior Mikell Gibbons lead the team, which will be looking to secure improved depth in the weeks to come.

Two-time defending state champion and host Iolani High headlines a group that includes 6 of the top 8 girls program’s in the preseason Hawaii state rankings, with some serious ‘inside competition’ sure to play out on meet weekend! Iolani is paced be defending state individual champion Nicole Anderson (10:36 for 3000m) and all-state performer Joleen Oshiro (10:53 for 3000m). An influx of new talent form the lower levels has this crew taking fine shape in the early going.
Second-ranked Kamehameha should challenge top-seeded Iolani for top teamwide honors once the state championships roll around, with state meet individual runner-up Jessica Domingo heading up a cast of six returnees that worked to place third at the year-end meet a year ago.

Tradition-rich Punahou HS must find a way to cover the graduation losses of four top runners if it is to remain a leading power on the Hawaii scene, but Katie Cragie is a great starting point for a crew still earning its share of respect in opening up third in the state rankings in one poll.

The entire crew of seven returns intact for defending O.I.A. champion Mililani HS, which placed fifth at the single-division Hawaii state meet a year ago. Deanne Soon and Sara Mitman are pegged as two likely frontrunners for 2003.
Rumors of a bumper crop of talented freshman has intrigue centering in the Baldwin HS camp, with the Maui-based school also having junior Marie Janiszewski leading four returnees from its 2002 cast. This projects to evolve into an exciting area battle against King Kekaulike for local bragging rights this season.

Ann Miranda leads a closely-packed Castle HS unit that fared well in competition a year ago. Six returnees are back from that collection, tabbing the Knights as a true team on the rise in the island hierarchy.

Lynbrook High of California’s Central Coast Section is making some definite waves these days, fresh off its first-ever trip to the state championships and now courting a seemingly better contingent this year. Leading the Vikings attack is frosh phenom Mayc Huang, a Junior Olympics placer at both 1500m and 3000m in track, with all-section senior Aya Wakabayashi, Another rising talent to keep an eye on is freshman Rebecca McFife, an age-group talent in recent years.
Lanier High of the San Antonio area is making its third trip to the Iolani meet, with the Texas school checking in as district meet runner-up and regional qualifier each of the last two seasons. The Voks return three from last year’s accomplished roster.

Gabi Rios-Sotelo, the Stanford Invitational and North Coast Section Division IV champion in 2002, leads the cast from St. Mary’s High of Berkeley in the Northern California area. Rios-Sotelo and her Panthers team should be further bolstered by the addition of freshman age-group track talent Kara Anderson to the program this fall.

Seabury Hall of Hawaii boasts one of the top performers in the state, with Tia Ferguson returning to her roots after competing at Santa Barbara High in the Southern California area a year ago. No doubt excited to reacquaint with some of the Golden State’s finest, look for Ferguson to be in the lead pack here.

Although without the services of its top runner this weekend, upstart Union Mine HS is among the fine Northern California programs represented. Union Mine has only been in existence for three years, yet the team has captured the Sierra Valley Conference championship each year, punctuated by fine fifth-place finishes at both the 2001 and 2002 CIF-Sac-Joaquin Section Championships. Among this weekend’s top projected contributors are all-league performers Donna Howe, Hillary Trainor and Katrina Stoneback.

Mar Vista of San Diego area of California is a program undergoing tremendous participation growth in recent years, with the team multiplying its membership six times over in this decade alone. The South Bay League runner-up in 2002, the Mariners are led by seniors Arleen and Bernice Ramos and juniors Ashley Ortega and Jennifer Parra.

Idaho small-schools powerhouse McCall-Donnelly HS leads the list of squads rounding out the girls’ team entrants into Iolani, with Hawaii-based contingents from Maryknoll, Hawaii Baptist Academy, St, Andrews Priory, Damien, St. Louis and Kaiser joined by California-based squads Camarillo, Hemet, Hilltop, Deer Valley, Hillsdale and Palm Desert among those also scheduled to compete.

BOYS TEAMS

The meet’s defending boys team champions are back... and well poised to make it two titles in a row! Eisenhower High of Washington is downright loaded this fall, with this year’s crew already being lauded with the distinction of being the #24 team in America, according to The Harrier magazine’s preseason national rankings. Coach Phil English’s 2003 collection is also ranked second in the Washington State poll, with junior Robbie Barany (third at this meet last year) and super senior prospect Charles Cummings headlining the squad’s attack. Depth is hardly a problem here, with Victor Dominguez and Chuy Chavez being proven performers in the heart of mid-race battle, and the tandem of Kevin Blount and Victor Palma giving its team the nod over this weekend’s rivals in the projected final scoring positions.

Although its girls program is expected to attract vast media and public support for its excellence throughout the season, it is Sultana’s boys program which should also turn some heads this fall. The Sultans are listed as the 6th-ranked Division II team in California, also finding themselves as the #4 preseason entry in a wide-open Southern Section divisional lineup that promises to be the most exciting team battle of the year within the Golden State. Sultana is well supplied in the leadership department, with seniors Robert Hernandez and Alex Deleeuw at the core of its lineup. Veteran Stuart Patterson and top underclassmen Ben Smith and Ken Landeros round out what figures to be an excellent scoring quintet.

With four returnees from a team placing 4th in the Washington State 4A Championships. Snohomish High is pegged as among the most powerful teams here, with Coach Dan Parker mentioning the crew as being potentially better than last year’s squad. Justin Brandt, Danny Weiser, Bobby Carlson, Andrew Glebe, Daniel McDuff, Cale McCullough and Dan Baus are the ‘super seven’ Parker appears to be pointing to as the Panthers gear up for a possible eighth Northwest District championship in the last nine years. The team has also placed as high as third in its state meet on three occasions.

Despite returning just two runners from last year’s highly competitive crew that placed third in State Division II, Orange High of California became so enamored with last year’s storybook memories from the Iolani weekend that Coach Don Burnette made sure to pencil in this year’s young squad for a trip to paradise as reward for an outstanding summer of training. The Panthers, who placed second in the team standings here a year ago, have senior Raul Lara (a 15:47 5k performer and 9:10 3200-meter runner questionable for this weekend, as he is nursing a tender IT band) entered as one of the leading contenders for top individual honors at Iolani. Veterans Alex Garcia and Josh Montalvo, both seniors, also return from last year’s state-placing squad, which enters 2003 as the #9-ranked unit in Southern Section Division II.

Welcoming five performers back from a crew that placed 9th in State 2A last fall, South Whidbey High of Northwest Washington could be among the top challengers to state power Eisenhower High this weekend, with Coach Doug Fulton forecasting a possible top-four finish by year’s end at the state championships for this year’s fine collection. Senior James Sundquist, junior Holton Schmitt and underclass talent JD Peters are tabbed as the likely pacesetters for this fine program.

Camarillo was the best team not to make it to the CIF-Southern Section Finals a year ago, with the California program (the national team champion about 15 years back) poised to go at least a step further this fall. Shea Jaenicke, Mike Lucero and Jose Garcia are the lead triumvirate for the Scorpions, who should fare well here.

It must get pretty lonesome out there in the Lone Star State, which might explain why San Antonio-based Lanier High is making its third trip to the prestigious Iolani Invitational. Although aiming to really enjoy the natural amenities and unique local hospitality of the islanders once more, the Voks (yes, the mascot is a gear wheel) have come ready to put their best foot forward on the course as well. Runners-up in the district meet a year ago, Lanier also was a team qualifier in the regional competition, with four lettermen returning from that squad.

While often performing in the shadow of its sensational girls program in possibly the premier pocket of front-running female talent in the entire nation, Ukiah High’s boys crew has enjoyed notable success in its own rite. This year, the team’s biggest news should revolve around its two frontrunners, Tim Quiroga and Jose Paniagua. Quiroga, a junior, placed fourth in the North Coast Section Finals a year ago, trailing only national talent Yong-Sung Leal and 2003 all-state candidates Scot Bauhs and Dallin Rosdahl.

Hemet has a long tradition of consistency in the Southern California Large Schools scene, with senior Van Nielson and sophomore Franklin Coopersmith among those expecting to lead the way for a group challenging for a spot in the Divisiion II Southland rankings.

Hailing from the Central Coast Section of California, where several of the Golden State’s top male individual talents reside, Lynbrook High appears to be improved from a year ago and a notable contender for a berth into the section finals. Optimism centers around the return of 2002 individual sectionals qualifier Eugene Berson and the fine summertime progress of hard-working junior Luis Jensen (4:38 for 1600m in track). With these two leading, the Vikings will look to fine tune their depth in becoming a regional force these next few months.

Brent Nakano and Peter Deptula are a pair of state meet Top 20 performers from a year ago, with five returnees in the mix to tab Punahou HS as the top team in Hawaii to start the season, in the eyes of some. Fine depth could be the deciding factor here, with the crew sporting a returning team time of 90:00 on the championship course.
Jon Yasuda, a Top 10 placer at last year’s state meet, leads the host Iolani Raiders in the quest for their first state championship. Iolani returns a team time of 90:29 on its state finals course, obviously matching up quite well against slightly favored Punahou. The Iolani-Punahou clashes begin to reach a new level this weekend, but the real battle remains to be settled at season’s end.

Six-time defending Hawaii state champion Kamehameha HS returns just three runners – two of them as sophomores – so the crew will be fiercely challenged to rebuild within if it is to remain at the top of mountain and kind of the island for a seventh consecutive season. Jeremy Kamaka’ala, who finished 14th at last year’s state meet, is pegged as the team’s top returnee.

Pacesetter Kainoa Guerin, a Top 20 placer at state last fall, headlines a trio of returnees from last year’s M.I.L. champions, with the Bears vying to become a mainstay in the hierarchy of the island’s top teams.
Ehren Cheng, an all-state selection a year ago, is the top runner for a Mililani program aiming to resurrent itself among the top Hawaiian teams on the cross-country circuit, battling a slew of excellent programs with similar 2003 credentials.

Arcadia has an excellent emerging talent in recent weeks, with senior Lino Almeida piling up a fine collection of high-end performances these days. A race winner at the gargantuan Mt. SAC Invitational last fall, Almeida was also listed as a preseason All-Los Angeles County selection in the DyeStatCal rankings. Ippei Kohara, a 10:10 performer for 3200 meters as a freshman last spring, is among the bright young talents for the Apaches as well.

Look for St. Mary’s High of Berkeley in the Northern California are to represent well here, with junior Tino Rodrigues and senior Scott Howard leading a team that placed fifth in the North Coast Section Finals last fall.
California schools Deer Valley, Hilltop, Hillsdale, Peninsula, Redlands East Valley, and Union Mine, Idaho-based McCall-Donnelley HS and Hawaii participants Maryknoll (with senior Tyler Takima), Seabury Hall, Castle, Kaiser, Hawaii Baptist Academy, St. Andrews Priory, Damien and St. Louis round out the vast slew of teams entered for 2003.

ALOHA!

Iolani Invitational

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