Kori Nishitomi was perfectly content with the way things were.

Her sophomore year at Longwood University in Virginia had just ended with a trip to an NCAA softball regional in Knoxville, Tenn., after the Lancers won the Big South Conference title in their first year in the league.

Nishitomi hit a ridiculous .440 with 18 doubles and 80 runs scored and was named first team all-conference.

As the team headed back to campus from the regional, Nishitomi was already thinking about the next season.

Never did it cross her mind that next season would begin more than 2,800 miles away on the opposite coast of the United States, in Corvallis, Ore.

“My travel coach called me one day and said there was an opening at Oregon State and if I was interested,” Nishitomi said. “It was a very big moment for me.”

Nishitomi had spent two years in Farmville, Va., and had grown comfortable with her surroundings. The team was coming off a history-making season and had a bunch of returning players.

Her coach, Kathy Riley, gave her the opportunity out of high school at Maryknoll to play Division I softball, when others wouldn’t.

However, the trip from Hawaii to the Longwood campus takes close to 20 hours of travel time. This was also an opportunity to play in the Pac-12, the premiere league on the West Coast.

Nishitomi thought long and hard before deciding to make the move.

“Coach Riley is a great person who I highly respect and I’m so thankful she gave me the opportunity to play softball,” Nishitomi said. “It was very hard on my family not being able to see me play and hard on me too.

“It was a heartbreaking decision, but I had to do what was in the best interest for me and my family.”

Everything changed during Nishitomi’s junior season except for the success she continued to enjoy on the softball field.

The change in competition didn’t affect her production at the plate as Nishitomi hit .390 with eight doubles, two homers and 37 runs scored.

The only tough part was her success didn’t translate to team wins. Oregon State finished 18-31 overall and just 5-17 in Pac-12 games.

“We didn’t have the best start to conference but even though we struggled, we started to play with that chip on our shoulder,” Nishitomi said. “Coach is always reiterating that you need to play with something to prove.”

Nishitomi and the Beavers have something to prove this season and are off to a good start. Oregon State is 8-3 after its first two tournaments and heads to Palm Springs, Calif., on Thursday to play in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.

From there, OSU will play another tournament in Fresno, Calif., before Nishitomi returns home to play in the Hawaii Spring Fling at the beginning of March.

OSU will play five games at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, including one against Nishitomi’s old team, Longwood.

“That’s always great motivation to play your old team,” Nishitomi said. “I’m so excited.”

Nishitomi won’t be the only Beaver returning home to play. Junior college transfer Mikela Manewa is a 2012 Kapolei graduate and has ascended to the leadoff spot in the lineup after hitting .464 (13-for-28) in her first 10 games with six runs and seven RBIs.

NOTES

Murphy outruns field in 5K race

Colorado junior Pierce Murphy bested a field of more than 80 runners to win the men’s 5,000-meter race at the Husky Classic on Friday.

Murphy finished the race in 13 minutes, 39.29 seconds, which is the third-fastest time in the NCAA this season. It’s also the third-best time in school history.

“The performance we are most happy with today is Pierce’s,” Colorado head coach Mark Wetmore said in a press release. “He ran a time that is very fast for him and that has always advanced to the NCAAs, so we feel very optimistic about that.”

Murphy, who graduated from tiny Island School on Kauai in 2011, competes in both indoor and outdoor as well as cross country for the Buffs.

His previous personal best was 13:56.37 set at the Husky Classic last year.

Curatilo is WAC track’s best

Seattle University senior Sophie Curatilo was honored Tuesday as the Western Athletic Conference female track athlete of the week.

Curatilo, a 2011 Moanalua graduate, set a school record in the one-mile run with a time of 4 minutes, 51.13 seconds on Saturday at the Husky Classic.

Curatilo finished first in her heat and 38th overall in the meet, breaking the previous Redhawks record by more than four seconds.

She owns the fastest one-mile time in the WAC by more than a second and also holds the best time in the league at 3,000 meters. She set that school record at the UW Indoor Preview on Jan. 17.

“Sophie has been focused on achieving big goals this year. She took a big chunk of time off the previous school record and used a gutsy finishing kick to win her heat,” Seattle coach Trisha Stedl said in a press release. “It’s great to see her hard work paying off and exciting to watch her tap into her true potential. This is just the start of a great season for Sophie.”

AROUND THE NATION

BASEBALL

» K.J. Harrison, Punahou ’14: The Oregon State first baseman hit .438 (7-for-16) with two triples, two homers and five RBIs to help the Beavers go 2-2 in a four-game tournament in Surprise, Ariz.

» Christian Donahue, ‘Iolani ’14: The Oregon State freshman started all four games at second base and went 2-for-9 with two walks.

» Mark Karaviotis, Maui ’13: The Oregon sophomore started all four games against Hawaii at shortstop and went 1-for-10 with four walks and two runs scored.

» Tim Arakawa, Moanalua ’11: The Oklahoma State second baseman hit .500 (6-for-12) with a double and three runs scored as the Cowboys lost two of three over the weekend against Arizona State.

» Rick Nomura, Punahou ’12: The Arkansas junior infielder hit .455 (5-for-11) with a home run, a double and five runs scored in a three-game sweep of North Dakota over the weekend.

» Ka’ai Tom, Saint Louis ’12: The Kentucky outfielder went 5-for-8 with two doubles, three runs and four RBIs in wins over Ball State and Richmond over the weekend.

» Justin Protacio, Mid-Pacific ’11: The Kansas shortstop went 3-for-13 with a double and a run scored in three losses to No. 2 Louisiana State to start the season.

» Kewby Meyer, Kamehameha ’11: The Nevada left fielder played in two games against Abilene Christian and went 2-for-10 with a double, two runs and a stolen base to start the season.

» Josh Inouye, ‘Iolani ’14: The Santa Clara freshman right-hander pitched twice out of the bullpen in three games against Vanderbilt over the weekend and struck out two in 11/3 scoreless innings.

» Turtle Kuhaulua, Kapaa ’14: The San Jose State freshman started all three losses against Loyola Marymount at second base and went 3-for-11 with a double.

» Kalei Contrades, Saint Louis ’11: The San Jose State right-hander started the opening game of the season and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in five innings with no walks and one strikeout in a 3-1 loss to LMU on Friday.

» Dylan Sugimoto, Waipahu ’14: The San Jose State freshman left-hander allowed two hits in 2/3 shutout innings of relief on Friday.

» Tanner Nishioka, ‘Iolani ’13: The Pomona-Pitzer center fielder went 4-for-14 with four runs, two walks, two RBIs and five stolen bases in a three-game sweep of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps over the weekend.

» Todd Takabuki, Moanalua ’11: The Austin (Texas) College senior went 6-for-11 with four doubles and four runs scored in a three-game series against Arlington Baptist over the weekend.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

» Nick Demusis, Mililani ’09: The Whittier (Calif.) senior guard shot 10-for-21 from the field and finished with 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 111-108 triple-overtime loss to Cal Lutheran on Saturday.

» Lanaki Apele, Kamehameha-Hawaii ’12: The Cal Lutheran guard had 10 points, five assists, four steals and two rebounds against Whittier.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

» Lia Galdeira, Konawaena ’12: The Washington State guard recorded her first career double-double with 23 points and 10 assists in a 61-52 win over Utah on Sunday. Galdeira added four steals and was 8-for-16 from the floor and 3-for-5 from 3.

» Dawnyelle Awa, Konawaena ’12: The Washington State point guard had seven points, two assists and a rebound against Utah.

» Kylie Maeda, ‘Iolani ’12: The Brigham Young sophomore guard finished with 11 points, three assists and a steal in an 86-82 loss to Pacific (Calif.) on Saturday.

» Samantha Alakai, Punahou ’14: The Smith (Mass.) College freshman was named the New England Women’s Basketball Association rookie of the week on Monday. Alakai had 24 points and nine rebounds in a two-point loss to Trinity College last Wednesday and finished with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists against Babson College on Saturday.

MEN’S GYMNASTICS

» Joshua Yee, Thompson Academy ’12: The Oklahoma junior scored a 14.90 on the vault in Saturday’s win over defending NCAA champion Michigan to help the Sooners shatter the NCAA team record score by 8.550 points. Oklahoma finished with a 456.400, breaking Penn State’s record from 2013.

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

» Tiana Montell, St. Joseph’s ’11: The UC Davis senior finished in first place in the all-around in a win over Seattle Pacific on Friday with a 39.0775. Montell finished second on the floor exercise (9.80), third on the vault (9.825), tied for third on the bars (9.75) and fifth on the beam (9.70).

» Jenna Frowein, Punahou ’12: The Stanford junior scored a season-high 9.825 on the floor exercise in a loss to UCLA on Saturday.

» Kristi Hayashida, Home school ’13: The Seattle Pacific sophomore finished in a tie for second on the beam with a 9.775 against UC Davis.

» Tracie Villanueva, Moanalua ’13: The SPU sophomore scored a 9.325 on beam against UC Davis.

SOFTBALL

» Kimberlee Souza, ‘Iolani ’11: The Washington junior went 6-for-11 with two doubles, three walks and four RBIs while playing both catcher and third base for the Huskies, who went 4-1 in the Littlewood Classic over the weekend.

» Mysha Sataraka, Punahou ’12: The UCLA junior third baseman went 3-for-8 with two doubles, two walks and five RBIs in five wins in the Wilson/DeMarini Desert Classic over the weekend.

» Kaydi Kochi, Mid-Pacific ’11: The Notre Dame de Namur senior went 8-for-18 with two doubles, four runs and five RBIs to help the Argonauts go 3-2 in the Desert Stinger tournament over the weekend.

MEN’S SWIMMING

» Sean Terada, Kamehameha ’13: The Whitman (Wash.) sophomore finished third in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:54.16 at the Northwest Conference championships over the weekend. Terada also swam a leg of the 400 and 800 freestyle relays that the Missionaries won, and finished fourth in the 200 butterfly (1:53.34) and fifth in the 100 butterfly (50.79). His 200 butterfly time was a provisional cut qualifying time for the national championships.

» Michael Sakai, Kalani ’14: The Pacific (Ore.) freshman finished in eighth place in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:58.69 at the NWC Championships on Sunday.

» Ian White, Le Jardin ’12: The Linfield (Ore.) junior swam a leg on the 400 freestyle relay team that finished in sixth place with a season-best time of 3:13.44 at the NWC Championships on Sunday.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING

» Maddie Jamora, Kapolei ’11: The Utah senior swam a leg on the 200 medley relay team that finished first with a time of 1:45.82 in a win over Idaho State on Saturday.

» Malia Santos, Kealakehe ’12: The Willamette (Ore.) junior finished seventh in the 200 butterfly in 2:15.77 to earn second team All-NWC honors at the Northwest Conference championships on Sunday.

» Ashlyn Witherwax, Punahou ’14: The Willamette (Ore.) freshman finished one spot behind Santos in eighth place in the 200 butterfly (2:31.25) to also earn second team All-NWC honors at the NWC Championships.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

» Alyssa Tobita, Mililani ’14: The Oregon freshman won No. 1 doubles matches on both Friday and Sunday to improve to 16-5 overall this season in wins over Montana and Iowa. Tobita also won at No. 2 singles in a 4-3 win over the Hawkeyes.

MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

» Justin Higa, ‘Iolani ’11: The Puget Sound senior finished eighth in the men’s 3,000-meter race at the Husky Classic on Saturday, finishing in a personal-best time of 9:00.30.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

» Jaylen Reyes, Kamehameha ’10: The Brigham Young libero picked up 11 digs in a four-set win over Southern California on Friday. Reyes also recorded a team-high 10 digs in a five-set loss to the Trojans on Thursday.

» Micah Christenson, Kamehameha ’11: The USC setter delivered 56 assists and 11 digs in Thursday’s win. Christenson also put up 38 assists in Friday’s loss.

» Larry Tuileta, Punahou ’14: The USC outside hitter recorded 15 kills and hit .480 against BYU on Thursday, followed by a seven-kill performance on Friday.

» Evan Enriques, Kamehameha-Hawaii ’14: The Stanford libero finished with a team-high 14 digs in a four-set win over UC San Diego on Saturday.

» Gabriel Vega, ‘Iolani ’12: The Stanford outside hitter picked up two kills and six digs in the win over UCSD.

» Josh Taylor, Punahou ’11: The Pepperdine outside hitter pounded 18 kills in a five-set loss to UC Irvine on Saturday.

» Kai Bernier-Chen, Hawaii Prep ’12: The Bard College junior recorded four kills and five digs in a three-set loss to Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday. The outside hitter also hammered six kills in a loss to Nazareth College earlier that day.

» John Eddins, King Kekaulike ’12: The Stevens Institute of Technology setter finished with 10 assists in the win.

» Matt Heirakuji, Kamehameha ’11: The Hope International libero posted a team-high 16 digs in a five-set win over Concordia on Wednesday.

» Luuga Vailu’u, Moanalua ’14: The North Greenville freshman put down 10 kills in a five-set win over Charleston on Friday.

» Mason Ohta, Kaiser ’13: The Lindenwood libero recorded 10 digs in a five-set win over Quincy on Friday.

» Puna Kaniho, Kamehameha ’13: The Grand Canyon setter dished out 40 assists in a three-set sweep of McKendree on Saturday.

» Silia Tucker, Kalaheo ’13: The Graceland sophomore put up 43 assists in a four-set victory over Culver-Stockton on Friday.

» DJ Wong, Kohala ’12: The Graceland libero finished with a team-high 12 digs in the win.

» Chris Roxburgh, Kohala ’12: The Graceland middle blocker posted five blocks and hammered seven kills with no errors, hitting .538 in the win.

Compiled by the Star-Advertiser’s Billy Hull. To submit an athlete for publication, email bhull@staradvertiser.com.