(Thu) October 28, 2010
By Edward Jackson
Freshman Dakota Grossman of Seabury Hall ran away from the pack early en route to winning the girls individual title of the Honolulu Marathon/HHSAA Cross Country State Championships held on Thursday, October 28th at Central Oahu Regional Park in Waipahu, Oahu.
Grossman crossed the finish line of the three-mile race in 19:25.50 and more than 30 yards ahead of second place finisher Elli Brady of Punahou (19:37.40).
From the start, Grossman immediately sprinted out to the front along with a small group of runners then she gradually escaped that pack of lead runners and established a substantial early lead.
The quick start allowed Grossman to race comfortably in front alone for the vast majority of the race. After the midway point it was clear that Grossman was having a fantastic race and no one was able to catch her down the stretch.
“I’ve been really competitive all of this season so I came over here to Honolulu with great confidents that I could win,” Grossman said after the race. “I was really excited at the start of the race. Running at states has been a goal of mine all season long. So I just ran as hard as I could.”
Punahou won the girls team title for the sixth-straight year recording a low score of 48 points. Members of that team were Brady, Julia Brand (9th place in 20:37.10), Kyleigh Mann (10th place in 20:38.00), Melissa Wong (11th place in 20:43.35), and Noe Lum (16th place in 20:52.25).
Hawaii Prep came in second place in the team competition with 70 points followed by Kamehameha-Kapalama (118), Seabury (130), Mililani (148), Hawaii Baptist (149), Iolani (160), Leilehua (238), Pearl City (246), Baldwin (248), Maui (251), Hilo (271), and Honokaa (335).
“I knew that if I got out to a big lead that it would be hard for anyone to catch me. That’s how I raced all of the time. Just go out there and try to stay in front,” Grossman said. “I was so nervous at the beginning and I think that helped give me the feeling that I must do well.”
Grossman said she started running at an early age and soon after discovered that running was her true love.
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“I started running when I was in first grade. I tried playing a bunch of
other sports, but running was a sport that I was better at. So I
couldn’t wait until I could get to high school so I could race against
better runners,” Grossman said.
When asked about the possibility of winning four state titles in cross
country Grossman said, “The competition here at states is strong. I have
to run one race at a time and run that race as if it was my last.”
Brady, last season’s winner in the girls race, said “My plan was to go
with her (Grossman), stay five meters behind her and get past her at the
end. But she got such a big lead early then did a great job of
maintaining that pace.”
At the awards ceremony Grossman’s teammates chanted her name with pride
and the knowledge that she will be back for at least three more attempts
at winning the girls individual title. She is the second consecutive
freshman to win the state girls crown and the second state champion from
her school. Tia Ferguson won in 2003 for Seabury Hall. Girls Final Results »
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