For state champs Randolph and Deichert, time with teammates ranks above accolades | News, Sports, Jo

King Kekaulike High School’s Ja’lyn Deichert won the girls 100 and 200 meters during the state track and field championships on May 6. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

It’s finally sinking in for a pair sprinters all that they’ve accomplished on the track and field this season.

After King Kekaulike High School’s Ja’lyn Deichert became the girls 100- and 200-meter HHSAA state champion and Baldwin’s Joseph Randolph the boys 200 champion and 100 runner-up, they have been selected as The Maui News’ Maui Interscholastic League Track and Field Athletes of the Year.

Both sprinters also led their teams to league titles at the MIL championships at the Yamamoto Track & Field Facility inside War Memorial Stadium.

“It has finally sunk in that I am officially the state champion,” Deichert said with a laugh. “The work that I put out, like all the work that I’ve done all summer, has really paid off.”

Receiving the honor means “anything is possible,” Randolph said late last month.

Baldwin’s Joseph Randolph recorded one of the fastest times in state history when he won the boys 200 meters during last month’s state meet. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

“It means a lot to me to be named that,” he said. “The goal is just that when someone hears my name, they think of a humble athlete and you know, just a role model for future athletes to aim to be better and set a good example.”

While Deichert has two years left on Maui to try and defend her MIL and state titles, Randolph will be enjoying his last summer home before heading to Olivet Nazarene University, an NAIA school in Bourbonnais, Ill., where he will play football in addition to competing in track and field on an athletic scholarship.

He plans to study biochemistry.

“It really flew by, like, really fast. I remember my freshman year, I didn’t even know what I wanted to do — I was put in so many places,” he said just a few days after graduation. “And to fast forward to now to see what has happened is really a memorable journey that I’ll never forget.”

When he first joined the Bears’ squad, Randolph tried 110 high hurdles, the 300 hurdles and long jump until he found his sweet spot in the 100 and 200, sprinting events that led to MIL and state titles. And, “the rest is history.”

Randolph, who was the 100 state champ in 2022, said he’ll miss nearly everything about training and competing with the Bears.

“The moments I had with my friends I’ll miss most,” he said. “I guess, like, when coaches say ‘oh, one day you’re going to miss doing sprints.’ And I was, like, ‘I don’t believe that, that’s not true, I’m not gonna miss that.’ But then when I look back, it wasn’t really about the sprints, it’s just about who you did them with, like with your best friends and all that. So, everything I did with my friends is what I’ll miss the most. The bond, I’ll never forget.”

Randolph is joined on the boys All-Stars list by King Kekaulike’s Jake Yoro and James Jarman; Maui Prep’s Pierce Armstrong; Kihei Charter’s Aidan Javier; Baldwin’s Antone Sanches, Casey Talana and JJ Panglao; and Maui High’s Aizley Lakalaka and Aizek Lakalaka.

Deichert is joined on the girls All-Star team by Baldwin’s Selena Castro and Tamilyn Ebisu; King Kekaulike’s Norah Brown, Maja Szpunar and Kalena Akinaka; Seabury’s Priana Dugied; Maui High’s Jacy Anne Dela Cruz and Kiera Sam Fong; and St. Anthony’s Kiana Downs.

The MIL All-Star teams consist of the MIL champions, while the honorable mention list comprises top-eight finishers — including relays — from the state championships.

In addition to her individual golds, Deichert teamed with Akinaka, Lola Richardson and Ruby Kessler to win state bronze in the girls 4×100 relay.

“It’s definitely grown more as a family from this year to last compared to last year,” Deichert said of her track team, which claimed its second consecutive girls MIL title this season. “We can talk to each other outside of practice, hang out with each other, and we know that no one feels alone. We always have somebody.”

A lesson she’ll take into next season as a junior is knowing that she and her teammates are more than their sport.

“It’s definitely something that I’ve learned to kind of have to grow with … because for such a long time I was just focused on the athletic part of the sport and then after I realized, like, it’s more of a family thing, you get to grow with the people, you get to train with these people,” she said. “These people are the ones that understand some of the things that you’re going through. It makes a huge difference.”

* Dakota Grossman is at dgrossman@mauinews.com.

Honorable Mention

Girls–Baldwin: Kayla Lyn Kaanana, Realani Sabado, Aaliyah Racadio-Kahoohanohano, Jesscelia Kekahuna. King Kekaulike: Ruby Kessler, Lola Richardson, Lily Barrett. Maui High: Ashley Tarasenko. Seabury Hall: Freya Carlsen.

Boys–Baldwin: Isaac Kaalakea, Brock Toma. Maui High: Christopher Mata, Max Anklam, Jonah Cariaga, Sevy Sconfienza, Donovan Magbual. Kamehameha Maui: Nohi Casco, Keegan Gantala. Seabury Hall: Micah Brighton.

King Kekaulike High School’s Ja’lyn Deichert won the girls 100 and 200 meters during the state track and field championships on May 6. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo Baldwin’s Joseph Randolph recorded one of the fastest times in state history when he won the boys 200 meters during last month’s state meet. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

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