×

The Maui News 2019 MIL Cross Country All-Stars

Shields, Ryden, Volner honored

Hunter Shields led a 1-2-3 finish for the Maui High School boys cross country team at the Maui Interscholastic League championships last month before leading a 1-3-4 Sabers showing at the state meet the following week. -- The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

Hunter Shields only took a couple of rest days after his eventful cross country season culminated with a state title.

The Maui High School junior was already focused on his next race.

Shields won the Maui Interscholastic League championship crown late last month and then the state title the following weekend, accolades that make Shields the clear choice for the The Maui News MIL Cross Country Boy Runner of the Year.

Seabury Hall teammates Kallalei Ryden and Kaylee Volner share Girl Runner of the Year honors for their performances at the MIL championship and state meet.

With just “a few days off” following the state championships on Nov. 2, Shields said he and teammates Damon Wakefield and Adam Hakola were already back training for the West Regional Cross Country Championships, set for Dec. 7 at Mt. San Antonio College in California.

Seabury Hall’s Kaylee Volner worked her way back from a hip flexor injury to take second at MILs and the state meet. -- The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

“I use (Shields) as an example all the time with the other runners,” Maui High coach Jared Welch said. “I think that’s why we’ve been able to compete, is because we always are able to get a few guys who want to put in the effort.”

The Sabers’ trio finished 1-2-3 in most MIL meets this season, which ultimately led to a Division I MIL team title. Shields also made a strong showing at the Iolani Invitational, finishing less than a second behind winner Carrick Denker of Dana Hills, Calif.

Shields then led a 1-3-4 finish for the Sabers at the state meet, securing a D-I team silver. Maui High’s performance marked the third time in the history of the state meet that a school claimed three of the top four positions in the boys race.

“I think we did good because we won the MIL championship, but at states we were hoping we were going to do better, we were hoping that we would win,” Shields said. “But, I’m happy with what I did as an individual.”

Running peaked Shields’ interest as a middle schooler, but he said he became more passionate about the sport once joining the Sabers’ squad, which included his friends and brother Rylie Shields, who graduated last year from Maui High as their No. 5 runner.

The Spartans’ Kallalei Ryden concluded her cross country prep career by claiming the MIL girls individual title and finishing 10th at states. -- The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

Alumni runners Rocky Balala and Cody McCorriston also train and help coach with the team.

“The atmosphere is just fun, we have a good time,” he said. “It’s great having all of them out here, it helps with our training. It gives us more motivation when we run, it just helps us train better and perform better.”

Welch said that Shields has come a long way since first joining the team, improving from 27th place to the top runner in Hawaii.

“The fact that he could finish top 30 in the state his freshman year showed what was there and what was possible for the future,” Welch said. “With his freshman year, I think it was a matter of realizing the talent he had, which talent really means nothing without the hard work. … We realized the possibilities and he realized the possibilities, so he kind of took it upon himself the summer before his sophomore year to put in more miles.”

After finishing as state runner-up behind Adam Harder of Hanalani as a sophomore, Shields realized what “he needed to do next year to put him over the top,” Welch said.

2019 MIL CROSS COUNTRY ALL-STARS

Joining Shields, Wakefield, Hakola and fellow Saber Connor Kong on the MIL All-Star team are the other top-10 finishers from the league championship meet: Kai Merrill, Ka’eo Keomaka, Colton Baldwin and Gabe Frampton of Division II state champion Seabury Hall; King Kekaulike’s Marcus Kamakaiwi; and Maui Prep’s Ozzie Doherty.

“I want to get my teammates faster and train more over the summer, and hopefully get another trophy next year, even if it’s second,” Shields said. “And, of course, going for the win again at states.”

Like the Maui High boys, the Seabury Hall girls team had runners competing for the top spot in the MIL.

Ryden, a senior, claimed four regular-season race titles and made a wild comeback against sophomore Volner for the league championship.

At the state championships, on the Spartans’ home course, it was Volner who was the first MIL runner to cross the finish line in the girls race, finishing runner-up to Kalaheo’s Emily Naylor. Ryden placed 10th.

“Throughout the season, it was just focusing on getting stronger and getting faster, and just definitely keeping an eye out on the competition on the other islands, and mostly just focusing on how I can improve myself,” Ryden said. “The MIL races went well, and at states, I guess I kind of, unfortunately, folded under pressure and didn’t do as well as I wanted to do, but the team did well, so overall it was a very rewarding senior year.”

Up next, she begins prepping for her last track season and finalizing college plans by reaching out to prospective schools and coaches in Canada, California and the East Coast.

“I definitely want to run at university or college, I think it would be a really good way of meeting new people. I also just really love the balance of academics and athletics,” she said. “I’m very excited for track season actually, I think I’ve gotten my footspeed up a lot since freshman and sophomore year, so hopefully I can do well this season.”

Volner started off her sophomore season a bit rocky, battling a hip flexor injury that cost her about five weeks of training. But she eased her way in to pick up a few regular-season meet titles and a silver medal at the Punahou Invitational.

“Based on her fitness, I told her that top 10 would be good at Punahou,” Spartans coach Bobby Grossman said. “But she had a breakthrough moment by pushing through and finishing second.”

By the time championship season rolled around, Volner was pushing the pace in the front pack.

“It was really hard for me to come off of an injury like that through half the season, I couldn’t have my full potential, and it was hard because I had expectations and I really wanted to meet them,” Volner said. “I wanted to help my team to become better, so I knew I had to take care of my body so that I could perform my best for MILs and states, which were the most important races.”

Volner and Ryden led the Spartans to their 14th consecutive MIL D-II team title and their second straight state runner-up team trophy.

“The two of them were supportive of each other no matter the results,” Grossman said. “Kaylee was happy for Kallalei when she won the MIL championship, and when Kaylee was at the trainers tent at states, Kallalei wouldn’t leave her side. So it’s nice to see competitors with a positive attitude under competitive circumstances.”

Joining the Seabury pair on the All-Star list are Madelyn Dougherty and Sarah Pease of King Kekaulike; Seabury Hall’s Rio Imperato, Priana Dugied and Elly Swartz; Lahainaluna’s Hailey Cardon; Baldwin’s Julia Knowles; and Maui High’s Drayton Ruppenthal.

While Ryden has concluded her high school cross country career, Volner has two seasons left to set new heights.

“This season taught me to stay healthy and making sure that my body is keeping up with my training,” Volner said. “And, to always have goals to push myself to my limit so that I can achieve those goals.”

* Dakota Grossman is at dgrossman@mauinews.com

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper?
     
Support Local Journalism on Maui

Only $99/year

Subscribe Today