HONOLULU – From off the radar to undeniable. 

University of Hawai’i sprinter Isabella Kneeshaw turned in one of the greatest single-season performances in UH track and field history in her first go-round with the program last year, becoming the third-ever Rainbow Wahine athlete to earn a major postseason Big West award as the conference’s Co-Freshman of the Year honoree. It went alongside her Big West title in the 400-meter, which she won with a blazing time of 54.01 seconds – the second-fastest mark in program history in the outdoor event. 

Add in multiple other titles and broken records and you see that Kneeshaw’s first year in Hawai’i was something ripped out of a movie script. The anchor of the 4×100 relay team for the Rainbow Wahine, a group that broke a program record in the event that stood for nearly 40 years three separate times last year, the now-sophomore sprinter recalls how it all seemingly came together in a flash. 

“It’s always been a dream of mine since I was young, to be a college athlete,” Kneeshaw said. “Originally, I really wanted to do soccer, but I ended up sticking with track and honestly, my senior year of high school was very chaotic. I didn’t run my best times until the last couple meets of the season, so I was behind in the recruiting process.” 

From Oregon, Kneeshaw began looking into schools on the west coast and more specifically, in the Big West. Even after her research, the sprinting star did not know where her next home would be to continue her education and athletic career as she walked across the stage and graduated from high school. 

“It was a very stressful little time in my life,” Kneeshaw recalled. 

Talent certainly wasn’t the issue – the youngest child of two college track and field athletes (Dad competed at the University of Montana, Mom was a sprinter at the University of Idaho), Kneeshaw had natural talent shining through daily while she collected major hardware in high school. She was named a USATF All-American in 2022 in both the 4×100 and 4×400 before earning 2023 Nike Indoor Nationals All-American honors in the 4×200 and 4×400 events, all leading up to her coronation as an OSAA 6A team state champion to close her prep career.  

“I ended up reaching out to [Hawai’i track and field head coach Madeleine Carleton] after looking into just Big West schools in general,” Kneeshaw said when asked about how Hawai’i got on her radar. “She was the first coach that I feel like really cared about me as a person, not just me as an athlete, and that made such a difference.” 

From the first phone call between the two, a partnership between Kneeshaw and Hawai’i seemed to be destined. One of her cousins living in the islands after getting married certainly didn’t hurt Hawai’i’s chances in cementing itself as a comfortable landing spot for the talented sprinter. 

After a little more thought, Kneeshaw committed and got ready to make her way to the islands herself. Since then, it has only been an upward trajectory from the start of the ride. 

“I feel like it all really worked out and I ended up where I’m supposed to be,” the sprinter smiled. 

The work began immediately, introducing Kneeshaw to better preparation for her events that she quickly implemented for a successful first year. While success did come fast, a more important lesson was learned: trust the process, prosper at the end of the year. 

As a first-year student-athlete at the Division I level, Kneeshaw wanted to go for personal records and push her limits every single time that she could – sometimes to her own detriment. One of the most memorable takeaways from her first season working with Coach Carleton was that the program prepares and plans out training for the athletes to peak at the right times. 

The proof of concept for Carleton is there for all the athletes to see, watching accolade after accolade and win after win roll in for the Rainbow Wahine last season as they followed intently behind their leader.  

“Learning to trust that she has a bigger plan and a process for us I think has given me a lot more confidence,” Kneeshaw said. “It always pans out well, so I think she’s a coach I can really trust and that’s made all the difference.” 

The difference ended up being multiple records, titles and a taste of what is to come for the University of Hawai’i women’s track and field team. Kneeshaw expects more of the same this season, part of the higher standards she has long held herself to, but knows she has to remember to have fun with it every day while she continues to trust her training. 

After competing in the U20 World Track & Field Championships in Peru and representing the USA over the summer, Kneeshaw is back and already making burning up the track on the indoor side of things. The sophomore sprinter set the 600-meter school record on the first day of competition of 2025 and helped the 4×400 relay team finish with the second-fastest time in Hawai’i indoor program history on February 1 in Seattle during the UW Invite, closing out a 3:45:69 performance that trails only last year’s MPSF title run by the Rainbow Wahine. 

She and her relay teammates will look to repeat the feat next week on February 21 and 22 in the MPSF Indoor Championships in Spokane, Wash., before closing out the indoor season in the middle of March at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The talent is undeniable, it’s about trusting the process.