Fighting through a flu, Zhane Santiago wasn’t sure how her body would respond when she reported to the starting line.

Even so, summoning her resolve in time for a preliminary heat in the 60-meter hurdles at the University of Washington Invitational on Jan. 31 wasn’t a concern.

"I knew I just had to run with a smile," Santiago said. "I just had to find the fight in me to do my best."

Taking position next to an Olympian, Santiago tapped into the joy she’d found in the sport since bounding over her first set of hurdles in elementary school. Now a University of Hawaii senior, she had more to smile about after crossing the finish in a school-record 8.51 seconds.

"I was kind of surprised," Santiago said. "My coach (Carmyn James) told me, ‘You broke the record,’ and I was like, ‘I did?.’ … So I was kind of excited seeing what I could do even when I was not at my best."

Her qualifying heat in Seattle marked the second time Santiago lowered the UH indoor record in the event, having set the previous mark at 8.59 seconds as a sophomore in 2013.

She placed second in the heat, finishing ahead of U.S. Olympic heptathlete Sharon Day-Monroe. She then came in third in the finals at 8.52 seconds, this time 1/100th of a second behind Day-Monroe.

She returns to Seattle with the Rainbow Wahine this week for the two-day Husky Classic, which opens Friday, and the UW Indoor Open on Sunday. The meets lead into the MPSF Indoor Championships, also to be held at UW Feb. 27 and 28.

Santiago added the school record to a list of accolades dating back to a dominant high school career and rooted in a family legacy bathed in Kahuku red and UH green.

Santiago’s father, Louis, was a hurdler at Kahuku and played football at UH. Her mother, Anue, spent a season with the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team before finishing college at BYU-Hawaii.

Santiago’s family connections at UH extend to strength and conditioning coordinator Tommy Heffernan, former UH defensive lineman Paipai Falemalu and current linebacker Rashaan Falemalu, both fellow Kahuku grads. Her uncles, Walter and Lane Santiago, also played football at UH.

"My family all went to this school so I feel I have to uphold that name," Santiago said. "It’s just really good seeing our family still continue to keep the bloodline strong here."

Louis Santiago returned to Kahuku as a coach on the football and track and field staffs and Zhane initially watched as her father tutored Red Raider hurdlers. But it wasn’t long before the youngster jumped in.

"It just looked fun so I tried it," she said.

While at Kahuku, Santiago completed a four-year sweep in the 100-meter hurdles at the state championship meet and still holds the event record at 14.55 seconds set in 2011.

Through her careers at Kahuku and UH, Louis’ guidance has been a constant.

"He’s still my coach even if he’s not my coach here (at UH)," said Santiago, whose younger brother, Keala, is an All-State safety and hurdler at Kahuku.

"He will watch my meets online and he’ll call me, ‘This is what you did wrong. This is what you did good. This is what you need to work on.’ … I think that’s a bond me and my dad have, running and hurdling. It’s always me and my dad. He’s always supported me no matter where I’m at."

Santiago also excelled in soccer at Kahuku and played in six matches for the Wahine as a freshman. But eventually, "just playing soccer really showed me how I missed track," she said.

"Coach Michele (Nagamine) talked to Carmyn and worked it out where I could run outdoor," Santiago said. "Carmyn offered me a scholarship to run so I took it and now I’m here."

Santiago put her focus into track and James found herself with a seasoned and powerful runner.

"We’re still working on polishing her — but what I like is her fearlessness," James said. "She is just so determined. When she comes out of the blocks, she just blasts out."

The indoor schedule serves as a run up to the outdoor season later this spring when she’ll compete in the 100-meter hurdles and long jump. While the hurdles remains Santiago’s primary event, she’s expanding her skill set to compete in the heptathlon.

"I didn’t know how to high jump, I didn’t know how to throw a javelin," she said. "It’s all just a good learning experience. The enjoyment grows on you the more you do it."