Kadena senior Neil Kentish and Kubasaki junior Ryan Hater come down the stretch side by side in the boys 200 during Friday's Mike Petty Meet. Hater edged Kentish by .04 seconds. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa – Though he got a bit of a boost from a tailwind, Neil Kentish continued closing in on the Pacific’s 100-meter record during Friday’s windy Mike Petty Memorial Meet.

The Kadena senior was timed in 10.52 seconds, edging out teammate Carmelo Ward (10.65) and Kubasaki’s Ryan Hater (10.72), the second straight week the three speedsters clocked under 11 seconds.

On paper, Kentish’s time was .01 faster than the Pacific mark of 10.53, set last year by D’Jhontae Douglas of Humphreys.

But sustained winds Friday were measured at 4.9 meters per second (11 mph), 1.9 more than the allowable limit of 3 meters per second (7 mph).

Still, Kentish was pleased with the result, adding that Douglas’ record is well within his grasp.

“Now, I know I can get it,” Kentish said after crossing the finish line. “If you keep the bar high, you can always get there.”

Kentish’s effort was the closest anybody came to breaking regional records in Friday’s 16th iteration of the Petty Meet. It was founded in 2003 to honor the memory of the late Kubasaki athletics director Alva W. “Mike” Petty, considered the father of Okinawa high school track.

With so much focus on chasing records the past couple of weeks, Kentish said the best thing to do is just focus on running and let the rest take care of itself.

“It’s all a mindset,” Kentish said. “It’s more mental than physical.”

Later Friday, it was Hater’s turn to blossom, though not by much. The Kubasaki junior won the 200 in 22.00 seconds, just .04 ahead of Kentish as they ran side-by-side once again to the finish. Hater also won the 400, in 51.16 to Kentish’s 53.35.

The two don’t really consider themselves to be rivals as they are unofficial training partners, Kentish said. “We’re just pushing each other to be better,” he said.

Kinnick’s Talan Farrington, the reigning Far East Division I cross country champion, beat Kadena’s Jeremiah Williams in both the 800 and 1,600 in Friday’s Mike Petty Meet. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Humphreys sophomore Cassandra Jarzabek, the reigning Far East Division I cross country champion, won both the 800 and 1,600 in comfortable margins in Friday’s Mike Petty Meet. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Kubasaki senior Carlos Cadet won the 110- and 300-meter hurdles during Friday's Mike Petty Meet. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Kinnick's Nina Gaudin won the girls 300-meter hurdles during Friday's Mike Petty Meet. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Sakura Lopez, a striker on Kubasaki's girls soccer team, competed in the Mike Petty Meet and won the girls 400 on Friday. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Kubasaki's Adriana Parra leads the pack on the first lap of the girls 3,200 during Friday's Mike Petty Meet. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Distance runners also had their turn in the spotlight, specifically reigning Far East Division I cross country champions Talan Farrington of Nile C. Kinnick and Humphreys’ Cassandra Jarzabek.

The two swept their respective 800- and 1,600-meter runs, neither in record time, but having led those races from start to finish.

“That was the goal,” Farrington said of the sweep after winning the 800 in 2 minutes, 9.76 seconds and the 1,600 in 4:39.05. Kadena’s Jeremiah Williams came in second in both races, clocking 2:11.07 and 4:43.81.

“I wasn’t feeling 100 percent, but I knew I had to go out there and perform,” Farrington said. “I wanted better times, but sometimes you have to take the bad with the good and I’ll do better next time.”

Jarzabek captured the 800 and 1,600 in runaway fashion, running the 800 in 2:23.30, 21.52 seconds ahead of Kinnick’s Lauren Cabradilla; and the 1,600 in 5:09.34, 35.19 seconds better than Kubasaki’s Adriana Parra.

“The wind was so bad; that was a killer,” Jarzabek said of running into the wind on the back stretch of both events. “But I still went out there and raced fast and hard. This is just the beginning.”

With the Petty Meet being an open event, a handful of athletes competing in other sports also entered and some did quite well.

Ten players from Kubasaki’s girls soccer team competed Friday. Senior striker Sakura Lopez came in first in the 400, clocking 1 minute, 7.56 seconds, nearly four ahead of Kadena’s Lindy Cabulao (1:11.48).

“I’m having fun, but I’m kind of nervous,” Lopez said of using blocks at the starting line.

In the hurdles, Pacific 110-meter record holder Carlos Cadet of Kubasaki didn’t match or pass his time of 14.61 that he ran a week earlier, but he went below 15 seconds for the third time this season.

Cadet won the 110 in 14.89 seconds – dashing across the field from the long-jump pit to run the hurdles. “No time between the hurdles and long jump to warm up,” Cadet said. He later won the 300 hurdles in 41.40.