(Bryan Brenize -- The Beacon)
By Joanna Goodwin, Staff Writer -- goodwin12@up.edu
Various track athletes wander through the Chiles Center after a workout. When they see Brandon Hanson, more commonly known as Pono, in the middle of an interview, they holler out to him words of encouragement and say it's about time he be recognized.
"I enjoy the teammates. It is funny to see the younger kids because I was in their shoes once and I known where they've been," Hanson said.
His teammates know he has proven to be a benefit to the team.
"He is a good teammate and a silent leader. He has really got a presence on the team and people look up to him a lot," teammate and junior Patrick Torreloas said.
The months are winding down to weeks for Hanson to show that leadership because it isn't long before he graduates.
"Graduating in May has really turned from being very surreal to know more real than ever," Hanson said.
It has been a long road that started in his hometown of Aiea, Hawaii.
"My parents grew up in track and that's why I started. When I was younger I ran for track clubs," Hanson said.
After recruits came to his high school he finally chose UP and started here in 2007 as an environmental engineering major.
It wasn't long before Hanson realized the combination of athletics and academics can be very difficult.
"It's rough to balance for every athlete. You really have to learn how to be organized and I think it makes all of us better in the end," Hanson said.
As opposed to the other sports on campus, track is a very individual sport in which it could be difficult to form a team unity.
"With sprinters, there are eight of us. There are challenges but more of a mental aspect because it is such an individual thing," Hanson said. "I've raced against teammates like Patrick because you'll be in the same heat. But we like to consider it a friendly team competition."
Torreloas agrees it is a different kind of unity as well.
"In the beginning, we got together as a group of sprinters but we weren't totally cohesive. From that we were always competing, every day, giving 100 percent," Torreloas said. "We have all been getting our asses kicked and those who remained have been brought together from that struggle."
The future is bright for Hanson in the track season to come.
"He has got the motivation to improve his records, but he also needs to enjoy his senior year," Assistant Coach of sprints and hurdles Chad Colwell said. "Next weekend he will open with his 400m hurdle at Willamette University for the first time of the year and we know he can better his times."
Hanson participates mostly in sprints like the 60 or 200m dashes and also the 4x400 and 400 hurdles. Even beyond this season Hanson has big goals his post-graduation future.
"I'm looking to go to graduate school, but I still have a little bit of time to decide where. I have done biathlons but now I want to train for triathlons as well," Hanson said.
Torreloas agrees that Hanson's future is bright and he can take anything coming his way.
"He is good enough as a person already and he works so hard there is no way bad things could come his way with everything he wants to do," Torreloas said.
