Former Enumclaw High athlete Kira Hawaaboo may be new to the world of collegiate track and field, but she already has made an explosive impact.
Competing in the heptathlon for just the second time, the Linfield University sophomore took No. 1 honors during the April 9 Northwest Conference championships. The meet, where Hawaaboo topped a field of eight competitors, was staged at Willamette University in Oregon.
Hawaaboo’s NWC victory created an interesting local twist. The last Linfield athlete to win a conference heptathlon title was Olivia Bannerot, another Enumclaw High alum.
Hawaaboo’s 4,495 cumulative points are the third-highest heptathlon point total in Linfield track and field history. She came within 78 points of breaking the all-time record of 4,573 points set by Bannerot at the conference championships in 2016.
Additionally, her 4,495 points currently rank fourth among NCAA Division III heptathletes. The top 22 scorers qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, to be contested May 23-25 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Invitations will be finalized in mid-May.
The heptathlon is a grueling seven-event competition that spans two days. On the strength of winning efforts in the long jump and javelin, Hawaaboo surged from fourth place after Day 1 into first place on Day 2. She also won the 200-meter dash, was third in the high jump and placed sixth in the 100-meter hurdles and the shot put. She clinched the heptathlon title with a third-place showing in the final event, the 800-meter run.
Hawaaboo’s heptathlon victory topped a memorable week that began April 6 when she set a Linfield record in the long jump. That effort came at the Jenn Boyman Memorial Invitational in McMinneville, Oregon.
Linfield University coach Travis Olson heaped praise on the former EHS Hornet. “I couldn’t be more proud of what Kira has accomplished these past few days. For someone so new to the sport, she handled the grind of the heptathlon like a veteran.”
“Kira is a special athlete who still has huge potential,” he concluded. “I am excited to watch how she progresses during her career.”
Linfield University is an independent, nonprofit university with campuses in McMinnville and Portland, Oregon, as well an eCampus for online learning.
