Zhang repeats as top PacWest player
The BYU-Hawaii women’s tennis team racked up three singles, two doubles and two individual honors as the All-PacWest Women’s Tennis Awards were announced by the league on Friday.
A combination of national rankings and voting by coaches determined the awards. The ITA West Region rankings released prior to the NCAA Championship also factor into the All-PacWest teams.
After leading the Seasiders to a 30-1 season, their 16th NCAA Division II campaign with one loss or none, and their ninth consecutive PacWest championship, coach Dave Porter was named PacWest Coach of the Year for the eighth straight season.
Nannan (Dallas) Zhang was named PacWest Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. She finished the campaign with a 20-3 doubles record and a 16-2 singles mark, including wins in her final eight matches. Zhang also joined former Seasiders I-Hsuan (Annie) Hwang and Hewenfei (Elwen) Li as the only repeat winners of the conference’s top award. Zhang, the nation’s No. 1 singles and doubles player, was also named first-team All-PacWest in both competitions.
Min (Karen) Liu and Marietta Tuionetoa joined Zhang on the first team for singles. Partners Zhang and Liu were selected first team in doubles, while Tuionetoa and Jin Jin (Leah) Han were second-team selections.
Hawaii Pacific’s Nicole Hoynaski was named PacWest Newcomer of the Year and teammate Kristyna Hancarova earned the PacWest Freshman of the Year award. Hoynaski posted a 16-7 mark and Hancarova finished 12-6 in her first year as a Shark. The pair is nationally ranked at No. 5 in doubles with a 15-3 record.
Perfect Sharks honored by PacWest
On the heels of the Hawaii Pacific men’s tennis team’s perfect 21-0 season that resulted in the program’s third consecutive PacWest championship and a No. 1 national ranking, Marko Lenz was named PacWest Newcomer of the Year.
He was 18-0 in singles and 18-3 in doubles.
Sharks coach Hendrik Bode was named PacWest Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season.
HPU’s Holt receives weekly honor
Hawaii Pacific’s Harley Holt received the PacWest Baseball Newcomer of the Week honor on Friday. It’s the second consecutive week that the 6-foot senior received this honor, which he has now received three times this season.
The right-handed pitcher out of Kamehameha combined to allow four hits in 14 innings with 14 strikeouts and no runs surrendered. Holt is fourth in the PacWest in ERA, third in opponent batting average, second in hits allowed and third in earned runs allowed.
Rothman clinches Quiksilver Ceremonial
Reigning Big Wave Tour World Champion Makua Rothman won the Quiksilver Ceremonial in pumping surf at Punta de Lobos, Chile, on Friday, putting the Hawaii surfer into the early lead in the BWT rankings heading into round two of the 2015/2016 tour.
The Quiksilver Ceremonial hadn’t run since 2011, and was the first of the BWT season. Round one ran Thursday afternoon, though the full swell didn’t arrive until later than projected, extending the heats into optimal conditions on Friday morning.
Rothman, 30, finished third in his first two heats, then pulled out a big score in the final for the victory. The tour moves to Punta Hermosa, Lima, Peru, for the Billabong Pico Alto, where Rothman is the defending champion. The window is May 15-Aug 31.
Thrills and upsets abound at Lowers Pro
Surfers enjoyed 3- to 4-foot waves throughout the latter portions of Round 3 and early heats of Round 4 of the Oakley Lowers Pro in San Clemente, Calif., on Friday.
Filipe Toledo of Brazil, the second-ranked surfer on the Champions Tour, got by Connor Coffin of the United States in one of the day’s most exciting matchups and advanced to the quarterfinal round. Toledo posted scores of 7.10 and 9.27 at Lower Trestles, but Coffin answered with an 8.23 of his own to stay in contention before the Brazilian delighted the crowd with aerial acrobatics to secure the win.
In the upset of the day, Adam Melling of Australia eliminated 11-time world champion Kelly Slater of the U.S. in Round 3 after posting a 9.17.
