PUKALANI - After a summer that showed her what is possible, Dakota Grossman is looking for challenges.
The Seabury Hall junior, a two-time state cross country champion, won Saturday's Maui Interscholastic League meet at King Kekaulike in 19 minutes, 57 seconds, nearly two minutes ahead of teammate Jenna Loesberg, the runner-up.
Coming up for Grossman, who has never lost a cross country meet to a Hawaii foe, is next week's Iolani Invitational, with a field that includes seven Mainland teams.
Article Photos
Baldwin High School’s James Pearson leads Maui High’s Cody McCorriston and Maui Prep’s Xavier Damo on the way to winning Saturday’s boys race at King Kekaulike.
The Maui News / ROBERT COLLIAS photo
Looking to be tested throughout the season, Grossman had sought to run with the boys in MIL races this year, but the league's athletic directors denied that request at their meeting last week.
"It was disappointing, I just wanted to do something different and be able to get some competition during the season rather than just once or twice before state," Grossman said. "I was looking forward to it, but I just have to run strong."
James Sparke, the AD at Kihei Charter and league cross country coordinator, brought Grossman's request forward.
"We didn't have a lot of discussion on it because it was referred back to Tia Ferguson in asking the same thing back in her day and it was turned down then," Sparke said Saturday.
Ferguson, who ran for Sea-bury and then Duke, made her request several years ago.
James Pearson, a Baldwin senior who won Saturday's boys race in 16:33 to make him 3-for-3 in MIL meets this season as well, said he wouldn't have have any problem with Grossman being in his field.
"Of course not, she is a great runner," Pearson said. "That would just make her better, dealing with competition more at her level. Yeah, I'd be fine with that, that would be great."
Grossman is running up to 55 miles per week, an addition of about 20 miles, and thinking of competing in the Foot Locker Western Regional on Dec. 1 in Walnut, Calif. - a top-10 finish would send her to the Foot Locker Nationals a week later in San Diego.
The three-time state track champion is also looking at where she will run in college, and has her eye on elite programs - Oregon is the current top choice. In June, she attended the U.S. Olympic track and field trials with her father and coach, Bobby Grossman, at the university.
Dakota Grossman ran her first mile of Saturday's meet "slowly" so she could help pace Loesberg and Christy Fell. The goal was for that duo to dip under 22 minutes - Loesberg took second in 21:52 and Fell was third in 22:03.
"I wanted to help my teammates run faster, so I kind of just picked it up as I went," Grossman said. "So today wasn't really, like, trying to get a (personal record) or anything, so under 20 is pretty good."
Grossman's cross country PR is 18:40, run last season.
Seabury Hall, the six-time defending MIL team champion, had five of the top six individual finishers to win with 17 points. King Kekaulike was second with 53 and Maui High third with 59 in a meet missing several runners who participated in the Hana Relays.
The four-time defending MIL champion Sabers won the boys team title with 37 points, Seabury was second with 48 and Baldwin third with 80.
Maui High took second and third individually - Cody McCorriston finished in 17:21 and Devin Vandervoort in 18:06.
McCorriston and Vandervoort are seniors, but "after that we are counting on youth, freshmen and sophomores," said Sabers coach Jared Welch.
"To win (the MIL title) this year would be the hardest one ever," Welch added.
"Now with the expectations I put on myself to have a competitive team and to get them to do their best, it is going to be a challenge. We definitely have the pieces. It is going to take everybody being healthy and in shape at the right time."
* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com
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MIL MEET NO. 3
Saturday's Results
At King Kekaulike
Boys
Team scores-1. Maui High 37, 2. Seabury Hall 48, 3. Baldwin 80, 4. Kamehameha Maui 83, 5. Maui Prep 113.
Individual results-1. James Pearson, Baldwin, 16:33; 2. Cody McCorriston, Maui High, 17:21; 3. Devin Vandervoort, Maui High, 18:06; 4. Nicolas Colon, Seabury Hall, 18:25; 5. Duncan Harrison, Seabury Hall, 18:34; 6. Avinash Singh, Kamehameha Maui, 18:41; 7. Jarrett Jackson, Maui High, 18:44; 8. Xavier Damo, Maui Prep, 18:52; 9. Daniel Quenga, Kamehameha Maui, 18:53; 10. Brenden Heitzman, Seabury Hall, 18:58; 11. Aundre Paet, Baldwin, 19:04; 12. Joseph Griffith IV, Maui High, 19:13; 13. Jeremy Sanchez, Maui High, 19:14; 14. Tyler Kiyota, Seabury Hall, 19:15; 15. Tayler Fourie, Seabury Hall, 19:17; 16. Jasper Quiocho, Maui High, 19:35; 17. Gerald Maeda, St. Anthony, 19:40; 18. Caleb Bermudez, Maui Prep, 19:41; 19. Ikaika Renaoud, Kamehameha Maui, 19:44; 20. Alek Paet, Baldwin, 19:44; 21. Sam Wyner, St. Anthony, 20:01; 22. Kai Linuma-Nakaaki, Seabury Hall, 20:21; 23. Adam Lundblad, Seabury Hall, 20:34; 24. Ian Almeida, King Kekaulike, 20:38; 25. Kaden Akahoshi, Maui High, 20:41; 26. Quinn Jones, Seabury Hall, 20:51; 27. Sam Sutton, Maui High, 20:54; 28. Matthew Mangay-Ayam, Maui High, 21:10; 29. Dayson Damuni, Kamehameha Maui, 21:13; 30. Micah Allen Dela Cruz, Baldwin, 21:14; 31. Daniel Olaso, Baldwin, 27:27; 32. Nykolas Brunner, Maui High, 21:40; 33. Elenar Rasos, Maui High, 21:51; 34. Jeremiah Kanoa, Baldwin, 21:58; 35. Michael Kalmeta, Seabury Hall, 22:00; 36. Justin Fernandez, Kamehameha Maui, 22:02; 37. Zeb Mehring, Seabury Hall, 22:04; 38. Richard Sargent, Maui Prep, 22:07; 39. Joel Quiocho, Maui High, 22:07; 40. McHale Bermanis, Maui High, 22:08; 41. Kia'ku Nae'ole, Kamehameha Maui, 22:20; 42. Corin Nishimoto, Seabury Hall, 22:21; 43. Derek Bal, Kamehameha Maui, 22:24; 44. Parker Robb, Maui Prep, 22:32; 45. Joshua Ancheta, Maui Prep, 22:37; 46. Gabe Sisneros, Maui High, 22:37; 47. Freddie Agcaoili Jr, Maui High, 22:47; 48. Shane Borge, Kamehameha Maui, 22:58; 49. Daniel Pietsch, Seabury Hall, 23:04; 50. Ethan Frank, Maui Prep, 23:08; 51. Jacob Higa, Seabury Hall, 23:12; 52. Aaron Soriano, Kamehameha Maui, 23:12; 53. Dustin Tacdol, Kamehameha Maui, 23:21; 54. DaveScott Ramos, Baldwin, 23:21; 55. Sean Fukuhara, Baldwin, 24:07; 56. Sai Furukawa, Kamehameha Maui, 24:13; 57. Jesse Amaral, Kamehameha Maui, 24:26; 58. Emmanuel Tabbay, Maui High, 24:28; 59. Kyle Cadiz, Kamehameha Maui, 24:39; 60. Benjamin Reed Jr, Baldwin, 24:53; 61. Michael Means, Baldwin, 25:00; 62. Gunnar Turnbull, Baldwin, 25:00; 63. Isaac Kala, Kamehameha Maui, 25:39; 64. DeShawan Carillo, Kamehameha Maui, 26:27; 65. Takayoshi Tsutui, Seabury Hall, 26:30; 66. Nick Head, Maui Prep, 27:03; 67. Vaughn Dumalanta, Baldwin, 27:07; 68. Milo Turner, Seabury Hall, 27:30; 69. Michael Chasen, Seabury Hall, 27:31; 70. Benjamin Bland, Seabury Hall, 28:40; 71. Alexander Harrington, Baldwin, 28:48; 72. Corey Hosaka, Baldwin, 28:49; 73. Evan Fredericksen, Maui Prep, 28:50; 74. Dawud Moragne, Seabury Hall, 29:57.
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Girls
Team scores-Seabury Hall 17, 2. King Kekaulike 53, 3. Maui High 59, 4. Kamehameha Maui 106.
Individual results-1. Dakota Grossman, Seabury Hall, 19:57; 2. Jenna Loesberg, Seabury Hall, 21:52; 3. Christy Fell, Seabury Hall, 22:03; 4. Tiera Arakawa, King Kekaulike, 22:30; 5. Ally Smith, Seabury Hall, 22:42; 6. Lia Matsunaga, Seabury Hall, 22:52; 7. Tanitia Imonti, King Kekaulike, 23:15; 8. Kerry Donohue, Baldwin, 23:22; 9. Tiffany Keau, Maui High, 23:25; 10. Tiare Matsuura, King Kekaulike, 23:35; 11. Makena Robinson, King Kekaulike, 23:35; 12. Michelle Gima, Maui High, 24:2; 13. Maika Hanta, Maui High, 24:35; 14. Genica Aban, Maui High, 24:46; 15. Natalie Rothman, Seabury Hall, 24:47; 16. Rebekah Hallsten, St. Anthony, 24:59; 17. Briana Berdel, Maui High, 25:00; 18. Catherine Quino, Maui High, 25:16; 19. Euvelyn Quicquic, Maui High, 25:19; 20. Maelisa Calilao, Maui High, 25:19; 21. Jacy Sera, Maui High, 25:21; 22. Tiana Camarillo, Seabury Hall, 26:00; 23. Rachel Smith, Kamehameha Maui, 26:01; 24. Norlyn Ranchez, Maui High, 26:09; 25. Kirsten Paulson, Seabury Hall, 26:14; 26. Leimana Hassett, Kamehameha Maui, 26:32; 27. Julie Ann Rasos, Maui High, 26:45; 28. Reina Tanizaki, Seabury Hall, 26:46; 29. Keely Lindsey, Kamehameha Maui, 27:04; 30. Victoria Alakai, Kamehameha Maui, 27:15; 31. Genesis Gil, King Kekaulike, 27:55; 32. Samantha Ohigashi, Maui High, 28:28; 33. Alyssa Rosaro, Maui High, 28:32; 34. Samantha Sarol, Maui High, 28:34; 35. Shanelle Macaraeg, Baldwin, 28:55; 36. Mckenna Chaney, Kamehameha Maui, 29:00; 37. Advincula Jamie, Maui Prep, 29:35; 38. Lilia Lorenzo, Kamehameha Maui, 30:12; 39. Kristi Kobashigawa, Baldwin, 30:41.
