Posted on: Wednesday, February 22, 2006
HOMEGROWN REPORT
Six earn Mountain West academic honors
By Leila Wai and Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writers
Several athletes from Hawai'i were named to the Mountain West's Academic All-Conference Team for the fall semester.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Brigham Young senior Charlene Lui (Punahou '02 of Ho-nolulu) earned a 3.51 GPA in management.
San Diego State freshman Mariko Strickland (Mid-Pacific '05 of Anahola, Kaua'i) earned a 4.0 in kinesiology.
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
San Diego State senior Christal Cuadra (Maryknoll '02 of Honolulu) earned a 3.1 in economics.
FOOTBALL
UNLV freshman running back Kamuela Kapanui (Kamehameha '05) earned a 3.14 in criminal justice.
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
UNLV junior Kristin Koochi (Iolani '03) earned a 3.34 in kinesiology.
Utah freshman Lacey Lavarias (Iolani '04) earned a 3.86 in parks, recreation and tourism.
BASEBALL
Pacific University, of Forest Grove, Ore., which has five players from Hawai'i, will open its season against Hawai'i Pacific Friday at Hans L'Orange Park in Waipahu.
Returning home with the Division III Boxers for the five-game series will be: pitcher Chris Loo (Iolani '02), infielders Mark Saito (Honoka'a '01), Shelton Honda (Kamehameha '05), Ryan Matsumoto (Maryknoll '05) and outfielder Scott Yasumoto (Pearl City '03).
San Francisco senior right-hander Patrick McGuigan (Mid-Pacific '02) pitched a seven-inning complete game in a 9-2 win at Southern Utah in the first game of a doubleheader last Friday. He (2-1) allowed two runs, three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.
Azusa Pacific senior right-hander Guy McDowell (Saint Louis '02) pitched three-hit ball over seven innings in an 8-5 win against Fresno Pacific in NAIA action last Thursday. He gave up two runs, three hits and a walk with four strikeouts to notch his second win of the season.
Point Loma Nazarene freshman outfielder Kaohi Downing (Punahou '05) hit the first home run of his collegiate career. The two-run shot spurred a five-run 11th inning in a 12-7 win against The Masters College Saturday at Santa Clarita, Calif. Downing was 2 for 6 with three RBIs.
Willamette (Ore.) junior outfielder Grant Yamaguchi (Mid-Pacific '03) and freshman pitcher Kelsey Nakata (Mililani '05) contributed in wins over Occidental on Feb. 11 and 12. Yamaguchi had three RBIs in a 9-3 win. Nakata pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run and one hit, in a 6-2 win.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Menlo (Calif.) sophomore guard Kepua Lee (Moanalua '04 of Honolulu) set the school's single-season scoring mark Saturday and was honored with her second straight California Pacific Conference Player of the Week award.
She matched a career-high with 29 points in an 80-32 victory against William Jessup Saturday. Lee needed 25 points to top the 407-point mark set by Ki'i Spencer-Vasconcellos (Punahou '97) during the 2003-04 season. Lee also snared 10 rebounds to earn her team-leading seventh double-double of the season.
Washington University (St. Louis) freshman guard Shanna-Lei Dacanay (Punahou '05) had 12 points, a career-high seven rebounds, four assists and four steals in a 66-54 win over New York University Sunday.
She had 11 points and four assists in a 66-54 win over Brandeis University Friday to help Washington secure a bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the 17th straight season.
College of the Siskiyous (Weed, Calif.) sophomore guard Meagan Miyasaka (McKinley '04 of Honolulu) started 29 games, averaging 6.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Pacific (Forest Grove, Ore.) senior guard Branden Kawazoe (Waiakea of Hilo) was named all-Northwest Conference honorable mention for the second time. He averaged 14.2 points per game.
Colorado School of Mines (Golden, Colo.) freshman guard Kyle Pape (Iolani '05) scored 11 in a 77-71 overtime win at Colorado Christian on Feb. 14. He had 13 points and six rebounds in a 70-57 win over Neb.-Kearney Saturday.
TRACK AND FIELD
Navy junior Julie Jordan (Punahou '02 of Kane'ohe) placed eighth in the 5,000-meter run with a personal-best 18:11.53 at the Patriot League Indoor Championship last weekend.
SWIMMING
UC Irvine sophomore Chelsea Nagata (Maui '04 of Kahului) was named co-Big West Conference Swimming Athlete of the Year after the conference championships last weekend.
Nagata won the 100 butterfly in 53.91, the 14th fastest time in the country this season and an NCAA B cut time. She also won the 100 backstroke in a UCI record 54.79, which is the 27th fastest time in the country and also a B cut time. She also won the 50 freestyle (23.72), and helped her 400 freestyle relay team set a UCI record and finish third in 3:27.19.
Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.) freshman Christine Phillips (Academy of the Pacific) won the 1,650 freestyle (17:55.79) at the Blue Grass Mountain Conference championships last weekend. She set a school record in the 500 freestyle (5:12.75) and placed second, and her 800 freestyle relay squad (7:56.07) also placed second and set a school record.
Stanford junior Hongzhe Sun (Iolani '03) won the 200 backstroke (1:42.97) and was third in the 200 individual medley (1:46.51) in a dual meet with California-Berkeley Saturday.
Stanford sophomore Noa Sakamoto (Punahou '04) was third in the 1,000 freestyle (9:08.39), and Cal sophomore Mark Eckert (Iolani '04) was fifth in the 200 backstroke (1:45.88) and seventh in the 200 individual medley (1:49.70).
Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com and Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.
