HILO, Hawai'i – KTA Super Stores Spotlight features Hawai'i Hilo Women's Cross Country first-year redshirt-sophomore Kathleen Raab, a native of Auburn, Washington who has claimed two individual victories this fall to help lead the Vulcans to three team wins through regular-season competition.

Raab took the top spot at both the Chaminade Invitational 5K (Sept. 20) and the HPU Sharks Invitational 6K (Sept. 27) to best all runners from the three Hawai'i Division-II schools competing — believed to have marked the first-ever individual wins in program history.

KATHLEEN RAAB

• Major: Kinesiology & Exercise Sciences
• Class: Redshirt Sophomore
• Hometown: Auburn, Washington
• Spent one season at Washington State University under coach Laura Harmon
• 2023 graduate of Holy Names Academy (Washington)
• Hobbies: Hiking, Camping, Scuba Diving, Volleyball, Wake Boarding
• Sports Teams: Seahawks!
• Favorite Movies: Point Break
• Favorite Musicians: Rhianna, Sza
• Has three brothers

HIGHLIGHTS

• "I've always been a runner. I was good at other sports because I was constantly running all the time."
• "I kind of was having this negative attitude about giving up running or stopping my running career when it comes down to collegiately. I talked to schools previously and I didn't really want to go way too far out across the entire country just to run."
• "Pullman is definitely not the place you enjoy running all the time. It's full of snow and ice, and the wind is not your friend when it's negative 10 degrees. I wouldn't say it was enjoyable at all."
• "I underestimated [Hawai'i]. I thought, okay, I won't fantasize this island in the middle of the Pacific. But there's more beauty than I expected, even in the casual things like waking up for 6 a.m. practice and seeing the sunrise every day."
• "The people here are really welcoming. I don't feel the need to be somebody I'm not."

KTA SUPER STORES

KTA Super Stores, founded in 1916 in Hilo, is a family‑owned grocery chain with eight locations across Hawai'i Island. For over 100 years, KTA Super Stores has been committed to their founder's philosophy: a commitment to humbly serve the people of their community.