New-Look XC Squad Opens Season Saturday

HONOLULU – The Hawai’i women’s cross country team opens its season on Saturday morning by hosting the 22nd annual Big Wave Invitational at Kahuku Golf Course.
 
The meet will begin with the men’s 5k at 7:05 a.m. followed by the women’s 5k at 7:45 a.m. UH will be joined by Chaminade, Hawai’i-Hilo, Hawai’i Pacific, SOKA and the University of the Pacific. Live results will not be available for Saturday’s meet but results will be posted on HawaiiAthletics.com following the meet.
 
The Rainbow Wahine roster will feature a number of new faces as 13 newcomers, 10 of which are freshmen, are set to make their debuts in a UH uniform in Saturday’s 5k race.
 
“We’re excited to begin this new season by hosting the Big Wave Invitational at Kahuku Golf Course once again,” said head coach Tim Boyce. “We have a young and energetic team who have been working well together since reporting to campus. This is the biggest group of new runners we have ever welcomed to Mānoa.  My 10th season at UH, and 30th overall, is off to a great start with this talented group of 16.”
 
Hawai’i’s three returnees will be tasked with leading the young squad into 2023. Keilah Wilkes, Carlin McFadden and Ania Magdesian were each scorers for the Rainbow Wahine at both the Big West Championships and the NCAA West Regional. Wilkes and Magdesian both will look to make a jump in their sophomore seasons after being key contributors as freshmen. McFadden will not compete this fall.
 
A trio of Division I transfers will bring some experience to the program and will be the only upperclassmen on UH’s roster. Rosalie Michot and Tania Tan each competed for four seasons at the University of Louisiana and Fordham, respectively, and have a year of eligibility remaining in both cross country and track, while Nicole Sevcikova spent her first two collegiate seasons at San Diego.
 
Incoming freshmen will make up the bulk of the Hawai’i roster, as Boyce brought in 10 true freshmen. Two of the freshmen arrive in Mānoa after winning state cross country titles as high school seniors, as Jessica Duran claimed the Idaho 2A state crown while Mililani graduate Zola O’Donnell took home the HHSAA state title in 2022.
 
A group of five highly-touted athletes from California make up half of the freshmen class as Alizee Garcia Parsons, Savannah Mellott, Melanie Pakingan, Breea Selbrede and Alexandra Zanon all had high finishes in CIF meets throughout their careers. USATF Junior National Olympics qualifier Abby Crossley out of Washington, Kalani High School graduate and OIA Eastern Division champion Kacey Miura and Emilie Kirk Langschwager, a highly-ranked athlete out of Denmark, make up the remainder of the Hawai’i roster.