The Kalani girls’ junior varsity track and field team sent a message to the rest of the league on Saturday, April 11, capturing the JV OIA Eastern Division Championship at Kaiser High School in a landslide victory. Amassing a staggering 193 points, the Falcons didn’t just win; they dominated. The Kalani boys secured a hard-fought third-place finish with 103.5 points, trailing only Kahuku and Moanalua. This sets the stage for JV OIA Championships on Saturday, April 25, when the JV teams return to the track to compete against west-side track programs at Mililani and Campbell.
The girls’ championship was highlighted by outstanding individual performances from freshmen Jordin Baker and Misa Ueda. Baker accounted for 40 individual points, claiming the Triple Jump title, taking second in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and High Jump, and third-place in the Long Jump. Ueda, running only her second 400-meter race, took first place and followed that up 20 minutes later with an impressive second-place finish in the 800. On the distance side, Ashlyn Wang (9) showcased her endurance with silver-medal finishes in the 1,500 and 3,000-meter races, while Zoe Kikuta (9) dominated the throws with a second-place finish in shot put and third in discus.
On the boys’ side, the Falcons relied on technical precision and late-race heroics to take 3rd overall. Nicholas Gray (10) won the discus and took third in shot put, while Zachary Li (10) got a crucial second-place finish in the 300 hurdles. The boys’ 4×800 relay of Daniel Lee (9), Tyler Richardson (9), Jiwon Kang (9), and Thunder Lyons (10) set the tone early with a first-place finish, a momentum Lyons maintained by taking second in both the 1,500 and 3,000. Kawika Kempfort (9) earned third in both the High and Triple Jumps and anchored both sprint relays.
The meet concluded with two completely differnt 4×400 races that underscored Kalani’s strength and depth. The girls’ team of Ueda, Olivia Cielebak (9), Eliana Ortiz-Ouanlavong (10), and Maddison Ramsey (9) turned the race into a clinic, stretching an early lead into a massive 100-meter victory over second-place Moanalua. In contrast, the boys’ relay was a dogfight; after trailing by 15 meters on the final exchange, anchor Kempfort ignited a furious comeback that saw him nearly catch the Moanalua racer in the final 50 meters. Though they finished second, the boys clocked their fastest time of the season.
Next up is the JV OIA Championships at Kaiser High School on Saturday, April 25, with field events starting at 3 p.m. and running events at 4:40 p.m.
