The fifth-ranked University of Hawaii water polo team clinched the program’s first outright Big West regular-season championship with a 12-6 win over Cal State Northridge on Sunday in Northridge, Calif.
UH freshman Elyse Lemay-Lavoie scored four goals, senior Claire Nixon added three and the Rainbow Wahine (20-4, 5-0 BWC) completed a dominant run through the Big West season, winning their conference matches by a total of 59-29. UH shared the regular-season title with UC Irvine in 2013 and went undefeated in league play for the first time since joining the conference.
The Wahine clinched the top seed in the Big West tournament with a win at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. The tournament is set for April 27-29 in Irvine, Calif.
UH Sailing qualifies for Nationals
The UH women’s sailing team took fourth place at the PCCSC Women’s Championship over the weekend in Redwood City, Calif. With the top-four finish, the Rainbow Wahine qualified for the ICSA Women’s National Championship, to be held May 21-24 in Norfolk, Va.
UH scored 211 points, 13 better than fifth-place Cal Poly. In the A division, the grouping of Caitlin Schadt, Gianna Bailey and Jessica Lawler scored 93 points, good for a third-place finish. The group of Annika Garrett, Danielle Ahir and Megan Zamzow scored 118 points, giving them a fifth-place finish in the B division.
Stanford won the regatta with 117 points. Also qualifying for nationals were UC Santa Barbara and Southern Cal.
This is UH’s 10th trip to Nationals in the past 11 years.
Toeaina takes top Wahine hoops honor
Hawaii women’s basketball senior guard Sarah Toeaina received the Ah Chew Goo Award, the program’s most prestigious individual honor, at the Rainbow Wahine’s 2017-18 postseason banquet on Sunday.
Toeaina, who scored 16.5 points per game this season and finished ninth in Wahine career scoring (1,204 points), is the third player in program history to receive the award multiple times since it was introduced in 1999. Amy Kotani (2006, 2008) and Shawna Kuehu (2014, 2015) were the others.
Other Wahine award winners at the Ala Moana Hotel’s Hibiscus Ballroom on Sunday were: point guard Tia Kanoa, defensive player of the year; forward Kenna Woodfolk, most improved player; center Lauren Rewers, rookie of the year; and Toeaina for the academic award. Teammates Rachel Odumu, Julissa Tago, Courtney Middap and Amy Atwell also received academic recognition.
Vulcan softball wins twinbill
Hawaii Hilo won both games of a Sunday doubleheader against Chaminade, by scores of 2-1 and 2-1 in Kailua-Kona.
In the opener, the Silverswords led going to the bottom of the seventh. Kiarra Lincoln scored on an infield single to send the game into extras. In the ninth inning, Vulcans senior third baseman Bailey Gaspar hit a solo homer for the walk-off victory.
In the second game, the Vulcans scored runs in the home half of the first and third innings and that would be enough as Isabelle Mejia scattered five hits for the complete game victory.
Hawaii Hilo improved to 25-13 on the season, 13-7 in the PacWest Conference. Chaminade dropped to 10-30, 6-22.
