Saya Yabe’s belief system for BIIF cross country is a simple one: You earn what you get.
The Waiakea junior came close to winning her second meet, but tripped near the finish line, and finished second at the three-mile Kamehameha course.
Whittier (California) Christian’s Amy Baray finished in 20 minutes and 45 seconds on an oven-baked Saturday to edge Yabe (20:54) and Hawaii Prep freshman Emi Higgins (21:04).
“I tripped on the last downhill and I couldn’t recover in time,” Yabe said. “It was my mistake. I can’t blame anyone.”
The field of 64 runners was loaded with young BIIF potential. (There were 68 boys.)
Out of the top 20 BIIF runners, only four were seniors, and there were seven freshmen: HPA’s Higgins, Kamehameha’s Joey-Ann Cootey, fifth; Konawaena’s Nanea Wall, eighth; Hilo’s Navi Varize, ninth, and Sam Marrack, 10th; Kamehameha’s Nevaeh Fukui-Stoos, 14th; and Honokaa’s Sophia Cash, 16th.
HPA pocketed its second consecutive meet title, with 42 points, followed by Hilo, 53; Kamehameha, 84; Whittier Christian, 117; Keaau, 140; Kealakehe, 152; Honokaa, 161; and Kohala, 181.
Waiakea girls coach Ipo Hai-Kelly describes Yabe as tough and tender.
“Saya is strong-minded, eager to win and to practice. She’s always there full-hearted,” Hai-Kelly said. “She’s very friendly and always supportive of the new girls. Some of them are so scared, but she’ll tell them not to be scared. She always cheers them on, and she’s a very humble person.”
Her dad Michael Yabe works at Mauna Kea and her mom Ayumi is a manager at Safeway. Yabe was born in Japan, but moved to Hilo in the first grade.
Yabe pointed to 2015 Hilo graduate and BIIF champion Mehana Sabado-Halpern as an influence.
“She showed up every single race 100 percent confident in herself,” Yabe said. “That’s something I have to learn from her and do as well. I’m slowly learning to believe in myself.”
At last year’s BIIF championship at HPA, Sabado-Halpern captured the title in 21:00. Yabe was fourth in 23:03.
Since she started cross country as a freshman, Yabe never secured a race gold medal. So it was fitting that at the BIIF season opener at HPA last week, Yabe won in 22:54.
“That felt like I was breaking through the surface,” she said. “It was finally my chance to shine after being in the shadow for so long.”
It’s been a long time since a Waiakea runner won a BIIF title. Tamarah Binek was the last Warrior to do so in 2002.
The seven-time defending champion Ka Makani will be a favorite for the BIIF crown for the foreseeable future.
They’ve got blossoming youth among their top seven: freshman Higgins; sophomores Ada Benson, fourth (21:16), Zoe Ganley, 10th (22:38), and Tove Fostvedt, 15th (23:17).
From her season-opening time at HPA compared to the BIIF championship last year, Yabe can take comfort that she got faster.
She joined Lance and MJ Tominaga’s Sunrise Athletics running club to put in extra hard work.
Asked the key to her success, Yabe doesn’t need to think long.
“It definitely comes from the heart,” she said. “You have to earn it, and you have to work for it.”
