KANEOHE, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Pacific University senior Robyn Kaltenbrunn and sophomore Jona Bodirsky won the women's and men's races respectively on Saturday morning at the Spring 2021 HPU Cross Country Invitational on the HPU Loa Campus.
 
The races were the first of the school year for the sport moved from the fall to the spring because of the COVID 19 pandemic.
 
Kaltenbrunn, of Johannesburg, South Africa, never trailed in leading the women on the 5-kilometer course, winning by nearly a minute and a half with a time of 21:25.0. However for the first time in many years, the Sharks did not win the team title. Olivia Jarvis of Hawai'i Hilo led the Vulcans who had the next four runners cross the line to beat HPU 22-35. Jarvis second place finish was in a time of 23:02.2 as her three other teammates finished behind her in the next eight seconds.
 
Bodirsky of Rettingheim, Germany, also won the men's 5k by over a minute and a half, clocking a time of 16:40.4 as HPU took the first four positions. HPU raced against Chaminade, but the Silverswords did not field enough runners to obtain a team score.
 
In the women's race, HPU collected three of the five spots from sixth to 10th. Junior Maggie Meeds of Anchorage, Alaska/South Anchorage, placed sixth with a time of 23:36.8, as sophomore McKay Guckenberg of Eureka, Mont./Lincoln County was seventh in 23:51.4 and sophomore Zamira Broadhust-Hall of Newark, N.J./Newark Tech crossed 10th in 25:29.3. Freshman Alyssa D'Arpa of North Potomac, Md./Wooton was 13th with a 26:34.2. Freshman Alison Lorah of Walnutport, Pa./Northern Lehigh wrapped things up for HPU in 15th at 28:06.8.
 
Chaminade's top women's runner was Olivia Mariucci, who placed eighth in 24:07.4.
 
Following Bodirsky in the men's race was junior David Rutto of Eldoret, Kenya in second with a time of 18:12.1, with sophomore Troy Oshimo of Honolulu/Kalani third in 19:05.7 and freshman Kuane Whitt of Mount Gilead, Ohio/Mansfield Christian fourth in 19:16.2. Chaminade's Owen Daugherty ran fifth in 19:23.9.
 
HPU collected spots six through eight, with freshman Kent Glover of Trussville, Ala./Hewitt-Trussville in sixth at 19:55.3, freshman Dominic Padre of Alameda, Calif./St. Joseph Notre Dame, seventh in 20:02.0, and freshman Ian Beals of Anchorage, Alaska/West Anchorage, eighth in 20:17.5. Senior Cade Harrington of Galveston, Texas/Ball was 10th in 21:27.6.
 
The same three schools will race again on Friday afternoon in the UH Hilo Invitational at the Naniloa Golf Course in Hilo. First gun is set for 4:30 p.m.
 
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