The Big Island has been a breeding ground for young runners competing in various sports such as marathons, biathlons, triathlons, track and field and cross country. With a plethora of training activities and competitions, Hawaii gives its high school athletes plenty of chances to hone their skills for college, allowing them to standout at the next level.
The Big Island has been a breeding ground for young runners competing in various sports such as marathons, biathlons, triathlons, track and field and cross country. With a plethora of training activities and competitions, Hawaii gives its high school athletes plenty of chances to hone their skills for college, allowing them to standout at the next level.
One such standout, who is already rewriting the record books on the college scene is Alexis Van Pernis.
Van Pernis, who went by the first name of Kristiana during her time at Hawaii Preparatory Academy, recently competed in the 4×800 relay at the Ivy League Indoor Track &Field Championship at Cornell University.
The Brown 4×800 team managed to set a new school record despite it being the first time the four women have competed in a relay together. Van Pernis was the only member of the team with even 800-meter dash experience, having reached the finals in a heat the previous day.
“I was the first leg (in the 4×800),” Van Pernis said. “The coach told me beforehand that the first leg is like going into battle. We start at the same time, and in a tight race, elbows are thrown and everyone is fighting for position.”
Van Pernis handed off the baton to Jeanine Noordam (San Jose, Calif) with her team in fourth place. Noordam then passed to Clare Peabody (Aptos, Calif.). The squad was in third place going into the final leg when Taylor Worthy (Medfield, Mass) took over. She overcame a 10-meter disadvantage to pull off the victory in a time of 8 minutes and 54.61 seconds
“It was really great,” Van Pernis said. “We all have the same mindset, and though we are not running at the same time, we can feel each other cheering.”
As a team, Brown finished fifth (65.5 points) at the Ivy League Championship, trailing Harvard (136.5), Cornell (123.5), Dartmouth (101) and Princeton (77).
Van Pernis, a sophomore, competes in both indoor and outdoor track for the Brown Bears, as well as cross country. She also competed in all three sports as a freshman.
“I love it here and I am very happy I chose this school over the many other options,” Van Pernis said. “It is cool to experience a different environment where you can meet awesome people from England, South Africa and all over the U.S., and that is just on the track team.”
A four year letter winner in cross country, soccer and track and field at Hawaii Prep, Van Pernis placed and played in every state championship in each sport throughout her high school career.
As a senior, Van Pernis was named the 2014 Hawaii Prep Female Athlete of the Year. She was also named the BIIF Conference Individual Champion in cross country and an All-Conference Defender in soccer. When she looks back on experience at Hawaii Prep, it is her time spent in athletics that she remembers most fondly.
“It was part of my life growing up,” Van Pernis said. “I think my favorite memory is when we won the state championship in soccer my senior year.”
Van Pernis admitted that Hawaii Prep athletics is still apart of her life. She recently got together with another Brown University student who went to HPA, Ella Kotner, and they both sat down and watched Ka Makani claim another soccer state title, all while talking and texting people back home.
While Van Pernis likes to remembering the good times of the past, while also breaking records in the present, she also has her sights set on her future. This is when grades become very important.
Attending an Ivy League school is not an easy task, even for a great athlete. Grades must be a priority and for Van Pernis, she excels in the classroom just as well as she does in whatever sport she plays. She graduated Cum Laude from Hawaii Prep in 2014 and was an AP Scholar with Distinction.
At Brown, Van Pernis plans on earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and pursue post graduate studies.
But right now she is just enjoying the ride by having fun and working hard. It is a ride that could be filled with many more records and milestones before her college time is up.