Cross-Country Hawaii Trip
By: Abigail Hemgesberg
Bark! Voice of the Bulldogs
Staff Writer

The Girls and Boys Varsity Cross Country Team kicked off their season with a fun-in-the-sun Hawaii trip on Sept. 7 along with Coach Martinez and athletic director Mr. Wilbur. The team was ecstatic that they had such a huge opportunity to represent Centennial in the beautiful Hawaiian islands. Martinez says, ¨It was a unique experience for Centennial, and I feel our cross-country team represented Centennial to the fullest.”
The meet was held at a Hawaiian country club in Waipahu and was the 2023 Iolani Cross Country Invitational. Centennial freshman Calvin Rivera placed 3rd in the boy’s championship race, which had also been the largest race of the day, with a time of 15:49.08 in the 3 miles. Sophomore Kingston Lueck also placed 4th with a time of 15:54.30. The Centennial boys team ended up taking 3rd overall out of 20 teams and the girls team took 6th out of 20.
Senior Breanna Blanks from the girls’ varsity teams says, ¨The experience was incredible, being able to compete and spending time with my closest friends, going to Hawaii is a memory I will never forget.” Blanks also describes the bonds created with her teammates and she’d be more than happy to do this trip again in the future.
The Cross Country Team had a fantastic time on this trip. They enjoy being able to travel around the U.S. to represent the school’s cross-country program and our coaches. Coach Martinez stated, “Our kids exceeded all expectations and competed on one of the toughest courses we have ever had an opportunity to run on.”