KEAAU – Hawaii Prep’s Kaui Taylor not only reached rarefied air on the Big Island, she jumped high enough to set her sights on one of the state’s most well-known female athletes.
Taylor set a BIIF championship record Friday in the high jump, leaping 5 feet, 5 1/2 inches, one of three marks to fall at the league’s track and field preliminaries at Kamehameha.
“It’s incredible. That’s high,” Taylor said, “I’m happy, but I’m not satisfied. I’m not done yet.”
A pair of gold medals were handed out ahead of Saturday’s championships.
The defending state champ, Taylor easily repeated.
The only drama was how high Taylor would go. While no other athlete bettered 4-8, Taylor started at 4-10 and comfortably cleared 5-5.5 in her first attempt for a personal-best. She failed in an attempt at 5-6.
“My legs were dead at that point, but it doesn’t look as scary as it did as states at last year,” Taylor said.
On Maui last May, Taylor won with an effort 5-4. On May 6 at Kamehameha-Kapalama, if the senior can better Friday’s effort by a quarter-inch, she’d break the long-standing state championship record of 5-5.5 set by Kahuku’s Natasha Kai in 1999.
Kai played on the U.S. women’s soccer team that won gold in the 2008 Olympics. Taylor has signed a national letter of intent to play soccer at Baylor.
“I have no idea what my coach has in store for me in the next week,” she said. “I have to remember where I was at states last year. I was close. I have to remember there are other girls in the state that are up there and talented.”
While Taylor got HPA off to a strong start in its bid to repeat, her cousin will take center stage Saturday.
Competing in the trials of the 100 hurdles on Friday, Emma Taylor set a BIIF finals record of 14.70 seconds. Emma Taylor, a five-time state hurdling champion, also ran the best time in the 300 hurdles and competes with both of Ka Makani’s top-seeded relay teams.
“We’re looking for team title,” Kaui Taylor said, “and I think we’re sitting pretty right now.”
In the field events, distances on Friday carry over to Saturday, which is good news for Hilo thrower Kaycee Nathaniel, who set a BIIF championship mark in the shot put, reaching 38-08.50.
In the other event final, Hilo’s Christian Ellis took gold in the pole vault. Ellis and Kamehameha’s Lucas DeRego each cleared 12-6, but Ellis had fewer misses.
Saturday’s field finals start at 3 p.m., with races starting at 4 p.m.
Also:
• In the long jump, Kamehameha’s Saydee Aganus (17-00.75) took the early lead on Kealakehe’s Nicole Cristobal (16-9.50) in the long jump, but Cristobal led the triple jump (35-04.25) and qualified first in the 200 (26.79). In the 100 prelim, Aganus was first and Cristobal was third.
• Hilo’s Lukas Kuipers won prelims in the 100 (11.12) and 200 (22.99).
• Keaau’s Damion Scandrick won the prelims of both boys hurdles, edging Kamehameha’s Tre Evans-Dumaran, who won four golds at BIIFs last season.
