Mililani Girls Win First HHSAA Cross Country Title Despite Illness

Mililani Wins Girls State Cross Country Title Despite Team-Wide Illness

Travel day for the Mililani cross country team began on a Thursday morning with a sense of concern. A bug had swept through the roster just two days before the Honolulu Marathon/HHSAA State Championships.

Everyone was sick, according to Trojans coach Nathan Aragaki, who noted that the illness had spread across the team following the OIA championships a week earlier. The infection left runners and coaching staff alike battling sore throats, coughs, and congestion.

Yet the Trojans overcame the contagion on Saturday at Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s hilly course. The Mililani girls captured the HHSAA team title for the first time with 56 points, edging out perennial powerhouse Punahou, which finished with 60 points and holds 35 state championships.

2026 HHSAA Hawaii State Cross Country Championships Girls Race

Kaitlyn Bitterman Wins Gold as Senior Leader Among Freshmen and Sophomores

Kaitlyn Bitterman wrapped up her final season as a Mililani harrier by claiming the individual gold medal, crossing the finish line in 19 minutes and 48 seconds. She acknowledged the physical toll of the course and the pre-race anxiety caused by the illness.

Bitterman served as a senior leader on a squad largely composed of freshmen and sophomores, with three of Mililani’s top five scoring runners in the ninth grade. Aragaki described the group as laid-back, noting that several athletes balance cross country with club soccer commitments.

Bitterman set an early tone for the team. Sophomore Adarra Thomas finished second overall at 20:04, freshman Kaiya Shigemoto took fourth at 20:44, and freshman Audrey Rodriguez placed eighth at 21:08, giving the Trojans four runners in the top eight.

The team faced a critical scare when their fifth runner, Avila Fimbres, passed out at the top of a hill while running in 13th place. Fimbres was treated on site and transported off the course on a cart, while sophomore Hailey Taira rounded out the team’s top five by placing 64th with a time of 24:12.

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Middle School Pipeline Feeds Young Talent into Second Place Boys Squad

The influx of young talent traces back to Mililani Middle School’s running program, where two varsity coaches volunteer. Aragaki pointed out that the middle school pipeline allows coaches to identify and guide prospective runners toward high school cross country.

Meanwhile, the Mililani boys team finished a close second with 54 points, just behind team champion Kamehameha at 52 points. Aragaki emphasized that the boys and girls programs share workouts, warm up together, and maintain a mutual support system.

Bitterman embraced her role as a mentor as the season concluded. “Coach was talking about the difference between expecting and believing. On race day, he told us to believe in ourselves,” she said. After taking turns carrying the program’s first girls cross country koa trophy, the team handed it to Aragaki.

With track season approaching, Bitterman expressed optimism for the future of the program. “They’ve got to get the two-peat, three-peat, four-peat. They’ve worked so hard,” she said.