The Student News Site of Mililani High School

Trojan Times

The Student News Site of Mililani High School

Trojan Times

The Student News Site of Mililani High School

Trojan Times

The Cost of Paradise
Dannika Pila and Arie YamasakiFebruary 7, 2024
Left to right: Trumpets Rylan Akau-Morgan, Peyton Kahiapo and Skylar Hamasu stand in first position during the City of Lights Parade on Dec. 2.
Great Minds Think Alike: Collaborations Between Mililani Schools
Gianna Brown and Arie YamasakiFebruary 7, 2024
Senior Marcus Morifuji faces off against senior Ava Mayfield in a game of chess. The Tabletop Gaming Club
hosted its first chess tournament on Nov. 30, any student was welcome to participate.
Checkmate! Tabletop Gaming Club Hosts Chess Tournament
Marcus Morifuji, Sports Editor • February 6, 2024

Cross country season ends on bittersweet note at state championships

By Mary Conner
[email protected]
(Photo courtesy of Vanessa Roybal (12)) (L-R): Jacob Chang (12), Lauren Gibbs (12), Vanessa Roybal (12), Brandee Schiller (12), Kiana Caranto (12), Robert Haas (12) and Evan Yonamine (12) will carry memories from cross country into the next chapter of their lives.
(Photo courtesy of Vanessa Roybal (12)) (L-R): Jacob Chang (12), Lauren Gibbs (12), Vanessa Roybal (12), Brandee Schiller (12), Kiana Caranto (12), Robert Haas (12) and Evan Yonamine (12) will carry memories from cross country into the next chapter of their lives.

Athletes on MHS’ boys and girls cross country teams ended their season with both success and loss at this year’s Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) cross country championship, held on Oct. 31 at Seabury Hall on Maui. The boys team took 15th place, while the girls team was able to come out with a sixth place ranking.

“I think all of us can say that going to states was an awesome experience,” said Senior Jacob Chang, co-captain of the boys’ team, “Even outside of the race, it’s always nice to spend time as a team. I would definitely say that we grew closer from this weekend.”

The girls team this year showcased their ability to stay on top of the competition. “I think we all would have liked to finish within the top four. We got the OIA (Oahu Interscholastic Association) championship, which was our big goal for this season, so I’m still really proud of this team,” said Senior Vanessa Roybal, co-captain of the girls team. 

Members of the girls team agreed that they have room to improve. “Our girls got sixth as a team, which isn’t too bad, but we were definitely surprised and were hoping to do better,” said Senior Kiana Caranto, co-captain of the girls team. While they didn’t place high at the state championship, the boys team was still able to come out of the competition with high hopes for next season and a newfound sense of teamwork. “We, well the boys, placed lower than we were expecting too, but a lot of us had rough races,” said Chang. “We did what we’ve been good at from the beginning of the season, which is running together as a team.”

The location of this year’s championship provided the runners with a new mindset. “Knowing that the state race was on Maui this year was definitely a huge motivator to practice hard throughout the season so that we could qualify to race over at Seabury Hall,” said Chang, “I think being able to fly to Maui with the whole team just amplified the excitement and hype of the race.”

The course of the race brought new challenges for the runners. “The course was narrow and had a lot of sharp turns,” said Chang. “But despite all the problems we had, with falling down or having shoes fall off, it was a nice change of scenery since none of us had run that course before.”

Cross country provides challenges for all who participate in the sport; mentally, it teaches runners to believe in themselves, both on and off the course. “Cross country definitely teaches people how much they’re capable of if they put their mind to something,” said Chang. “It really all comes down to learning how to put mind over matter, as cliche as that is.”

Runners were forced to say goodbye to their cross country season, and for seniors that won’t be a part of college teams, a goodbye to their entire cross country experience. “I think the race was a little bittersweet,” said Chang, “This was my fourth year running cross country and even though it was a long season for me, I still can’t really wrap my head around the fact that it’s over.” Caranto is also proud of her cross country accomplishments. “I joined the team three years ago and it’s been a wild ride with a lot of ups and downs, but I like to look back on my journey and think about all that I’ve accomplished,” said Caranto.

Both MHS boys and girls cross country teams are proud to be apart of this year’s state championship. Those who won’t be graduating with the class of 2016 look forward to the next cross country season.

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