Kaeo Kruse stepped onto the track with intentions of running a fast time and scoring points for his team.

By the time he’d won the boys 1,500-meter run, the Kamehameha senior did more than lower his time. Kruse broke the ILH championship record and is possibly the first high school runner in Hawaii to run a sub-four-minute time in the event. Kruse won the race in 3 minutes, 58.54 seconds at Friday’s ILH track and field championships at Kamehameha, breaking his own record of 4:02.49 set in 2014.

“I wasn’t really going for the record per se, I just wanted to run hard and get points for my team,” Kruse said. “The record is a bonus.”

The state meet record in the 1,500 is 4:01.23 and the event wasn’t held here until the late 1990s. Kruse ran a 1,600 in a California meet last year that converted to a 1,500 time of 3:58.15. But Friday was the first time he clocked in under 4 at 1,500.

“To do it in Hawaii and run 3:58 by myself in the wind and stuff, that’s great,” said Kruse, who holds the state meet record in the 3,000. “That’s better than what I ran last year midseason at Stanford. I was really stoked about it.”

Kruse also won Friday’s 3,000 in 9:14.79 to help Kamehameha win the team title with 210 points. Punahou was second with 130. Justin Desaki won the 100 and anchored Kamehameha’s winning 4×100 relay team. Kamehameha’s other event winners were Alema Kapoi (shot put), Wesley Faagau (discus), Quade Aiu (300 hurdles), Peter Hanohano-Hashimoto (high jump) and Evan Iwanaga (110 hurdles).

Kapoi defended his title in the shot put, achieving his winning throw of 56 feet, 4 inches on his final attempt. It was 7 feet longer than the throw by runner-up and teammate Andrew Aleki. Kapolei said his season is finally turning around after some early struggles.

“It’s a long journey, I just had to stay in it,” Kapoi said.

Punahou’s Nick Kapule won the pole vault and ran on the winning 4×400 relay team, and teammate Connor Lehl won the 800. Other event winners were ‘Iolani’s Avery Curet (400), Pac-Five’s Grey Ihu (200), Clayce Akeo of Mid-Pacific (long jump) and Drew Kobayashi of Saint Louis (triple jump). Kobayashi won the triple jump in 2014.

Hawaii Baptist sophomore Madison Moku won all four of her events, finishing first in the 100 hurdles, 100 dash, 200 dash and 400. She won the 100, 200 and 400 last year.

“I’m happy that I finished first and did what I wanted to do and put it all on the track today,” Moku said. “I was kind of nervous in the beginning. I knew that whatever I did, it didn’t matter, just give it my all.”

Sacred Hearts senior Phoebe Kirk won the 800 for the second straight year and rallied to win the 1,500. Kirk led for most of the 1,500 but was third heading into the final lap. She caught one runner at the first turn and took the lead in the final 200 meters to finish in 4:49.05.

“I definitely didn’t expect to be leading it, so that was a surprise,” said Kirk. “Once I saw she sped up a little bit, I just thought about how much I wanted it and I went for it.”

Alia Yamafuji ran on Punahou’s winning 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams and the Buffanblu took the girls team title with 175 points. Emily McKenna won the 300 hurdles.

Kamehameha was second with 111 points. Kayla Afoa repeated as the long jump champion and won the high jump. Mikiala Maio won the triple jump, Lei Camargo-Naone won the shot put and Hennessey Ellis won the 3,000.

‘Iolani had two winners in Maia Graham (discus) and Jessica Lee, who repeated as the pole vault champion.