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Hawaii gets its first taste of Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor track and field this weekend when the Rainbow Wahine make their debut at the conference championships. The meet is Friday and Saturday at Dempsey Indoor in Seattle, where UH has competed three times before this year.
The Wahine have no chance of winning the 21st MPSF Indoor Track and Field Championships. Ten of the 11 Pac-12 indoor programs are in Seattle. Brigham Young, Colorado, Utah and Hawaii have joined the conference over the past two years. Stanford won its eighth MPSF title last year and is ranked 16th nationally. Oregon is second, Arizona State eighth and Arizona 11th.
"I just want them to rise to the occasion," said UH coach Carmyn James. "It’s a big meet, achieve a personal best. There are a few Big West teams — Northridge, Irvine and Long Beach — so the goal is to beat all the Big West teams."
James offered two stark examples of the world-class nature of these opponents:
» Oregon’s 4×400 relay team is ranked sixth nationally with a time of 3:34.63. "Our goal," the coach says, "is to break 4 minutes."
» Hawaii’s top-rated athlete going in is senior Samantha Balentine, who is seventh in pentathlon (3,604 points) and third in high jump, at 5 feet, 10 inches. Two-time NCAA high jump champion Brigetta Barrett, of Arizona, shares the NCAA’s top ranking at 6-3.25 and set a meet record of 6-4 last year. She won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics.
Hawaii will send 15 women, including freshmen Charlinda Ioane and Morgan Struble, to compete in 10 events. Senior Amanda Alvarez will be in four (triple jump, long jump, hurdles and pentathlon). The top-16 performances nationally qualify for the NCAA indoor meet. Balentine and Alvarez have the best shot, in high jump and triple jump.
Three Wahine have set school records this winter.
Zhane Santiago shattered the 60-meter hurdles mark twice the last time UH was in Seattle and now holds the record of 8.59, which puts her eighth this weekend. Santiago won four state high school track titles for Kahuku, where she was also all-state in soccer. She got a bronze medal in the 100 hurdles at last year’s WAC outdoor championships. Her father Louis, and uncles Walter and Lane, played football for the Rainbows.
Ashley Satterwhite, who won three state high school sprint titles at Punahou, ran a 7.79 in 60 meters to set a UH record. Hawaii Pacific transfer Melody Papalii set it at 600 meters, at 1:38.17.
Hawaii will compete during the outdoor season in the Big West, which does not have enough teams for an indoor championship.
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