Meet the Athletes of Team Hawaiian Kingdom for Oceania Cup

Team Hawaiian Kingdom will proudly represent the Hawaiian Islands at the 2025 Oceania Cup in Nuku‘alofa, Tonga. Traveling across the Pacific, the squad brings together a talented mix of current and former University of Hawaii athletes, high school standouts, and emerging stars who are ready to showcase the spirit of aloha on the Oceania stage.

The team features depth across all disciplines, from sprints and jumps to throws and distance, with each athlete carrying the pride of their communities and the islands they call home.

Among the experienced competitors is Grace Blanchette from Honolulu. A former U18 heptathlon runner-up at the New Zealand National Championships, she went on to compete at the NCAA Division I level and earned her master’s degree in Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. Fellow Mānoa alumna Chadelle Gregory brings strength in the long jump, triple jump, and short sprints, having claimed consecutive ILH titles in high school.

Throwers Tiana Ma‘afala and Valo Sopoaga, both University of Hawaii athletes, add firepower to the field events. Ma‘afala began her throwing career in high school and has since expanded her range to include the javelin, while Sopoaga, a psychology major, competes in the shot put, hammer, and weight throw.

Team Hawaiian Kingdom also includes several athletes balancing competition and study across a range of universities. Kahuku graduate and Ph.D. candidate in Botany, Kauanoe Greene, competed in track and cross country for the University of Hawaii, earning national academic honours throughout her collegiate career. Distance runner Mila Bunton continues to compete after her time at Union University, while Connor Miller from Wahiawa represents The Master’s University in California in the 1500m and 3000m.

Emerging high school athletes such as Jelayah Martinez of Waianae High, King Pridgen of Campbell High, and Casey Connell of O‘ahu represent the next generation of Hawaiian talent. Connell, who anchored the Hawaii U18 State Record 4x400m relay team at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, has already shown that young sprinters from the islands are ready to compete against the region’s best.

Sprint power features strongly in the men’s line-up. Maui’s Joseph Randolph is a two-time Hawaii state 100m champion and multiple NAIA All-American now competing for Colorado Mesa University. He joins state 200m champion Emanuel Carter of Waianae, former 800m state champion Michael Joshua “MJ” Price, and 2024 state 300m hurdles champion Diamond Hanohano-Pastushin. Completing the power events group is Shyson Cachuela, a multi-sport athlete from Kapolei High now competing for Linfield University in the shot put, discus, and hammer.

Terrence Autida, who moved from Las Vegas to Hawaii to continue his athletics career. Now an assistant coach with Spartan Track Club Hawaii, he brings international experience after earning bronze in the 4x100m relay at the 2025 Philippine National Athletics Championships.

Team Hawaiian Kingdom’s participation in the Oceania Cup represents a new chapter in Pacific competition. With a blend of collegiate experience, and developing talent, the athletes will proudly represent Hawaii when competition gets underway on October 29.