More than 1,000 runners from 45 schools, including 20 from the Mainland, competed at the 6th annual Iolani Invitational on September 18. Iolani High School hosts a dinner for all the teams on Friday night in their school cafeteria. The coaches and athletes have a chance to socialize with coaches and athletes from other high schools from around the country.

There was a cheering contest won by the team from Florin in Sacramento and there was hula dancing by the Iolani students. A Nike representative gave a presentation on their new National Team Championship.

"I think it's a real fun event for the kids," Iolani girls coach Greg Char, who graduated from El Cerrito High School in California, said to the Honolulu Advertiser. "It lets them compete with the Mainland kids and socialize with them."

Boys' Teams

Twenty-three complete teams finished. In an extremely close team battle, Snohomish (Wash.) won the boys' team title by one point with 54 points (4, 10, 11, 14, 15). Their team was composed of senior Bobby Carlson, 19th last year in 18:07, who was 4th in 17:46.85; senior Marcus Bastian (11th, 18:14.17), junior Andrew Glebe (12th, 18:14.62), senior Cale McCulloch (16th, 18:17.98), and junior Steve Mason was 17th in 18:22.24. Snohomish's total team time was 1:30:55.86 (average team time was 18:11.18). The time difference from their first runner to their fifth was only 35.39 seconds!

Auburn Riverside (Auburn, Wash.) placed second with 55 points (1, 2, 9, 18, 25). Their team was composed of senior Jordan McNamara (1st, 16:39.21), senior Josh Clough (2nd, 17:13.71), junior Joe Churchill (10th, 18:12.12), junior Andy Edick (20th, 18:30.78), and senior Doug Benson (12th, 18:50.05). Their total time was 1:29:25.87.

Lake Braddock Secondary (Burke, Va.) finished third with 127 points (3, 20, 33, 35, 36) and a total time of 1:33:17.22. Their team included senior Brad Clark (3rd, 17:25.45), junior Todd Voss (22nd, 18:35.36), sophomore David Watson (35th, 19:05.96), senior Mike Waters (37th, 19:15.03), and senior Matt Barry (38th, 19:15.42).

Two California schools rounded out the top five. The team from Moreau Catholic (Hayward, Calif.), which is coached by longtime coach Phil Wilder, was fourth with 137 points ( 6, 12, 31, 41, 47) and a total time of 1:34:18.32 (average: 18:51.67). Their team was composed of senior Tony Quintana (7th, 17:53.48), senior Nick Todd (13th, 18:14.96), senior Paulo Acoba (33rd, 19:01.47), junior Marcus Cordero (43rd, 19:26.30), and senior Andrew Chan (49th, 19:42.11).

Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) was fifth with 138 points (13, 16, 34, 37, 38). Their team time of 1:34:27.98 (average 18:53.60) was posted by junior Ethan Durham (15th, 18:16.13), junior Victor Muro (18th, 18:27.15), senior Pedro Ramos (36th, 19:06.38), junior Joseph Griego (39th, 19:18.96), and Patrick Wells (40th, 19:19.36).

Other California teams with five or more finishers were Beverly Hills (8th, 219), Helix/San Diego (14th, 434), and Valley Christian (21st, 555).

Boys' Individuals

Senior Jordan McNamara (Auburn Riverside, Auburn, Wash.), who was 19th in the Iolani junior varsity two years ago, topped the field of 166 finishers, winning the boys' 5,000m race by a 34.5 second margin in a time of 16:39.21. Senior Josh Clough (Auburn Riverside), finished in second in 17:13.71. Senior Brad Clark (Lake Braddock Secondary, Burke, Va.), was third in 17:25.45.

California boys in the top twenty included junior Neil Rodriguez (St. Joseph's/Notre Dame in Alameda, 6th, 17:52.03); senior Tony Quintana (Moreau Catholic/Hayward, 7th, 17:53.48); junior Max Goldman (Beverly Hills, 9th, 18:08.61); senior Nick Toda (Moreau Catholic/Hayward, 13th, 18:14.96); senior Garrett Hockey (Desert Christian/Lancaster, 14th, 18:15.55); junior Ethan Durham (Poly/Long Beach, 15th, 18:16:13); and junior Victor Muro (Poly/Long Beach, 18th, 18:27.15).

Girls' Teams

There were 23 complete teams that finished. Snohomish (Wash.), who was ranked #17 in the nation, won the girls' team title with 58 points (4, 7, 10, 14, 23) with a total time of 1:46:50.66 (average: 21:22.14). Junior Amanda Stopa, 5th last year in 20:17, finished in 5th again (20:30.37), senior Alyssa Modrell (8th, 21:12.46), sophomore Kara Sporrong (11th, 21:17.97), freshman Ellie Bonner (15th, 21:38.79), and junior Rachel Forrest (24th, 22:11.07) scored for Snohomish.

Lake Braddock (Burke, Va.) placed second with 62 points (5, 8, 12, 18, 19) and a total time of 1:47:15.87 (average: 21:27.18). Their team was composed of senior Kelsey Snowden (6th, 20:49.36), junior Erin Klein (9th, 21:12.92), senior Kelly Sherrard (13th, 21:35.94), senior Becca Hoogland (19th, 21:47.14), and sophomore Michelle Presley (20th, 21:50.51).

Midlothian (Virginia), was third with 110 points (1, 15, 29, 31, 34) and a team time of 1:50:19.48 (average: 22:03.90). Their team was composed of senior Amanda Patterson (3rd, 20:01.62), senior Heather Mella (16th, 21:39.83), freshman Christin Selander (32nd, 22:49.10), sophomore Christi Blackburn (34th, 22:53.18), and sophomore Mary Miller (37th, 22:55.75).

The highest placing California team was Redlands East Valley (Redlands, Calif.) who finished fourth with 135 points (13, 16, 20, 42, 44) and a team time of 1:51:53.85 (average: 22:22.77). Their team was composed of sophomore Katie Spenser (14th, 21:37.27), and seniors Karen West (17th, 21:41.86), Aracely Hernandez (21st, 21:59.97), Selena Sepulveda (45th, 23:16.29), and Jenna Lafferty (47th, 23:18.46).

Redwood (Larkspur, Calif.), which is coached by Tom Lyons, was fifth with 160 points (9, 30, 38, 40, 43) and a team time of 1:53:32.54 (average: 22:42.51). Their team was composed of junior Claire Ross (10th, 21:14.20), seniors Amanda Stuart (33rd, 22:49.45), Sarah Kinney (41st, 23:01.32), Emily Justus (43rd, 23:09.89), and sophomore Stephani Broadway (46th, 23:17.68).

In sixth was Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) with 192 points (17, 25, 27, 57, 66) and a total team time of 1:54.16:66 (average time: 22:51.34). Scoring for Poly were junior Tava Tedesco (18th, 21:44.20), freshman Carley Lopez (26th, 22:20.76), freshman Emily Rubin (29th, 22:39.48), senior Amanda Salazar (61st, 23:35.57), and freshman Janet Muro (72nd, 23:56.65). Other California teams with five or more finishers included Saugus (8th with 202 points), Cerritos (12th, 365), Moreau Catholic in Hayward (14th, 404), Flintridge Sacred Heart (17th, 463), Analy in Sebastopol (18th, 497), and Beverly Hills (19th, 520).

Girls' Individuals

The race was won by junior Lauren Ho (Hawaii Baptist Academy, Honolulu), who had placed fourth in the Hawaii state meet in 12:40, and won the girls' 5,000 meters race by 2.28 seconds in 19:59.34. This was her first 5k race because in Hawaii girls run only two miles in their meets. She was Hawaii's first winner since Punahou's Victoria Chang won in 1999. Chang went on to run two years for Stanford. Ho plans to run in the Foot Locker Western Regional at Mt. SAC in December.

Senior Amanda Patterson (Midlothian, Va.), sixth in the 2003 Virginia AAA in 19:01.56 and ranked in the top 50 in the nation, placed second in 20:01.62. Senior Nicole Anderson (Iolani, Honolulu), the state meet champion in 2002, 17th last year in the Iolani Invitational in 21:07, third in the 2003 Hawaii state meet in Division I in 12:34, was third in 20:22.42.

Sophomore Shannon Murakami (Saugus, Calif.), 10th in the 2003 state meet in Division I, finished fourth in 20:29.05. Junior Amanda Stopa (Snohomish, Wash.), fifth last year in 20:17, was fifth again in 20:30.37. Senior Kelsey Snowden (Lake Braddock, Burke, Va.), fourteenth in the 2003 Virginia AAA in 19:29.75, was sixth in 20:49.36, while senior Joleen Oshiro (Iolani, Honolulu), 15th last year in 20:54, 6th in the Hawaii state meet in 12:58, was seventh in 21:00.54.

"All the people on the Mainland are really fast," Oshiro said to the Honolulu Advertiser. "The caliber of everyone else running on the Mainland, they come here and smash us. It opens your eyes to realize how much more there is out there. It's pretty good to see beyond runners in Hawaii. It gives you an idea of how college may be."

California junior Claire Ross (Redwood, Larkspur, Calif.) was tenth in 21:14.20.