The BIIF saw seven of the proposals it submitted at this week's 58th annual HIADA conference defeated in committee voting Wednesday morning. Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 1 of 2

Cal State Fullerton women's basketball coach Jeff Harada (Hawaii Baptist '89) was the keynote speaker for Tuesday night's Aloha Dinner. Brien Ing | SL

Purchase image 2 of 2

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Day two of the Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association annual conference saw the host league take its share of lumps.

The Big Island Interscholastic Federation saw seven of the proposals it submitted at this week's 58th annual conference at the Hilton Waikoloa Village defeated in committee voting Wednesday morning.

For the second straight day, athletic directors split into four groups, with each of the state's five leagues represented in each group. On Tuesday afternoon the groups conducted straw polls on each of their dozen or so proposals they were assigned.

Wednesday saw the same groups cast binding votes on each proposal. Those proposals that passed out of committee will be forwarded to the HIADA general assembly for another round of voting Thursday morning. However, proposals that were defeated in committee Wednesday can be brought to the floor for a general assembly vote via minority report.

The BIIF had three proposals defeated in Group 4, including one to utilize a seeding system based on league rotation rather than by a seeding committee. It saw only seven ADs vote in favor of the measure, while 27 were opposed with one abstention.

Another BIIF-backed proposal in the same group to vary the size of Division II state tournaments based on the number of eligible teams statewide — an eight-team bracket for those sports with 24 or fewer schools versus a 12-team field for those with 25 or more — was also defeated by a wide margin, with 27 ADs opposed and just eight in favor.

Group 1 also voted down three BIIF proposals in its closed-door committee meeting, two of which pertain to cross country.

The first proposal seeks to allow a non-championship race at the site of the state meet each Fall, but was defeated by a wide margin despite passing Tuesday's straw poll, 27-2-6.

"We're just trying to have the opportunity for kids from outside the league that's hosting the state (meet) to have the experience of running the state course one time during the regular season," Hawaii Prep athletic director Steve Perry said.

Perry noted that when his school played host to the state championships in 2016, more than 130 harriers from the Kauai Interscholastic Federation, Interscholastic League of Honolulu, Oahu Interscholastic Association and Maui Interscholastic League took part in the race.

"It has no (additional) costs, because if you don't want to come, you don't come. It's just helping the kids that usually are competitive," Perry said. "We had kids from 16 schools and all five leagues at HPA two years ago. It was great, but why can't we do that when it's another league (hosting), another site, that's all, and if it's not possible and that site isn't available, all right, but at least it's something where there would be some framework in place."

Perry said the BIIF introduced the measure after a conflict didn't allow for a tune-up meet leading up to the 2017 state championships held at Kauai Community College.

The other cross country proposal — which was narrowly defeated Wednesday — would split up runners from Division I schools and Division II schools into separate races at the state championships.

Perry said the rationale is to allow athletes to compete against those in their own Division.

"If I'm jockeying for position, I'm jockeying with someone that I'm competing with in my division, that's all. They're already scored and it would just clean up the championship," said Perry, who noted that the measure was amended to allow for 125 competitors in the D1 race and another 75 in the D2 race.

Perry said the BIIF plans to file minority reports for both cross country proposals.

"It will be interesting to see the discussion that takes place (Thursday)," Perry said.

A third BIIF-submitted proposal in Group 1 sought to decrease the shot clock in girls water polo from 35 to 30 seconds, but was defeated handily. The rationale given was to fall in line with the National Federation of High Schools guideline of 30 seconds, but those opposed cited the NCAA still utilizing a 35-second shot clock in the women's game as a deterrent.

Another committee — Group 3 — voted in opposition to a BIIF proposal to alter the scoring system for the state track and field meet, adding the seventh- and eighth-place finishers in finals as point scorers for their respective teams.

BIIF track and field coordinator and Kamehameha-Hawaii AD Kimo Weaver said there are no financial issues to the measure, which would fall in line with the NFHS recommendation.

"They're already getting medals. It doesn't do anything other than follow the guideline that is listed in the NFHS rulebook," Weaver said. "If you look in the NFHS rulebook, there is a chart on how you should score depending on the number of teams involved. What do we have, seventy-plus teams involved in state track? We should be scoring all eight places."

Opponents to the proposal — which was defeated 13 in favor to 20 opposed — have said it would be favorable to those programs with larger teams.

"Yes and no," Weaver countered. "It allows more of the smaller schools, or at least those that are only getting that seventh- and eighth-place finish in the finals a point, so at the end in the results they do show up on the leaderboard, so to speak. As far as just helping the big schools or the big programs, it is a team championship."

Weaver added that research he has done over the years prove that there would have been minimal changes to the top of the final standings in prior state meets.

"I had some data with me last year over the last fifteen-plus years and the biggest change you see is more schools are listed on that leaderboard. There's a couple changes over the years where maybe a runner-up and the third-place (team) change and switch here to here, but not drastically. Usually your champion stays champions; it does add more schools on the leaderboard. For us as a school, it would have gave us a couple more points because we did place seventh or eighth in a couple of finals," Weaver said.

The proposal will be brought to the general assembly floor Thursday via minority report, as will an ILH-submitted proposal to re-integrate the 4x800 relay as a state championship race.

The ILH did, however, withdraw a pair of track and field proposals from committee vote Wednesday. One sought to include a day of rest between the trials and finals for the state meet, while the other looked to limit an individual to entering a maximum of four events.

Other notable proposals that will be voted upon by the general assembly Thursday include a measure to force teams to attempt a two-point conversion after scoring a touchdown from the third overtime on in the state football tournament — which passed unanimously in committee Wednesday, 35-0 — and an OIA-backed proposal that slightly tweaks the seeding criteria for the state wrestling tournament. Also expected to pass out of HIADA is proposal to conduct the high jump at the same time as the pole vault at the state track meet.

All proposals that pass out of general assembly Thursday morning will be forwarded to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association executive board, which meets later that evening and can approve, deny, or amend any of the HIADA recommendations.