Without Sarina Shibata, Naomi Ng isn’t sure she’d still be playing water polo at Villanova.

Without Ng, Shibata isn’t sure she’d have made many new friends.

Individually, the two Punahou graduates say they are polar opposites. Ng is a social butterfly who was very homesick her first year away from Hawaii. Shibata’s extremely shy, but left home knowing she would make it through college no matter what it took.

Together, they are the perfect match. They have helped each other through a challenging time in life while making an undeniable mark on the Villanova women’s water polo program.

The Wildcats recently wrapped up their annual spring break trip to California and are 10-10 heading into conference play in less than three weeks.

It’s a considerable achievement considering Villanova didn’t win more than 10 games in either of the duo’s first two seasons.

Not only has the team significantly improved since then, but the Wildcats faced a level up in competition on the West Coast after going 6-2 in the eight-game trip there last season.

“We played a lot of tougher teams this year, I think, because we did so well the (previous) year,” said Ng, who had scored 131 goals entering her senior season. “Our program has really been on the up since we got here.”

Ng and Shibata were teammates at Punahou, which has now won eight consecutive girls water polo state championships.

One trait they share is a competitive drive that made their first year of college all the more difficult.

Villanova went winless in each of its first four tournaments in 2013, losing more games in a month than Punahou has probably lost in a decade.

The Wildcats finished that season 8-29 and were 10-20 the following year.

“Freshman year was almost miserable you could say,” said Shibata, who had scored 159 goals entering her senior season. “But I think back to then and compare it to now and it’s just such an incredible difference that is kind of hard to overlook.”

It was especially tough for Ng, who was homesick at the same time. If it wasn’t for Shibata and another high school teammate, Aisha Price, who played for Harvard, things could be quite different right now.

“I don’t think I would be here if I didn’t have (Shibata) with me,” Ng said. “It would have been completely different. It’s just a complete contrast from home to up here and having that little piece of home with you every day and there’s so many things she has helped me with, I’m surprised she hasn’t gotten sick of me already.”

Even though the two spend so much time together, when they come back to visit family in Hawaii, they end up hanging out together.

Shibata never had the same kind of homesickness that Ng felt her freshman year, but opening up and meeting new people was a challenge she would have struggled to handle without her outgoing friend.

“She can talk to anyone and make a best friend out of a stranger,” Shibata said. “It’s like knowing a social butterfly that helps me meet new people. I had to kind of come out of my shell a little bit, but I had her who would always tell me, ‘Sarina, come with me to meet new people,’ and I’d be like, ‘OK.’”

Both are eager to get back in the pool after finishing 3-5 in California. Villanova will host its only two home matches of the season March 26 against Marist and Wagner and then play the rest of its games in New York.

The Wildcats have finished fourth in the conference tournament each of the past three seasons.

Both want to improve on that finish, but for Shibata in particular, how they leave the program is almost just as important.

“To squeak one out and finish off our senior year with a higher ranking would be great, but I think after last year and the extreme high of winning all of those games, I want to finish out the year and be just as excited,” Shibata said. “Even if we finish in fourth place, that’s fine, as long as we have a fun time doing it and continue to be successful.”

With 29 wins in the past one-plus seasons, Ng and Shibata will leave the water polo program in a much better place than when they started.

Just as important, they’ll leave the program together, finishing what they started while enjoying the many new friendships they’ve made along the way.

AROUND THE NATION

Cooper wins NAIA wrestling title

Warner Pacific redshirt freshman Blake Cooper entered the NAIA National Championships ranked No. 1 at 165 pounds and lived up to the billing, claiming the national title on Saturday in Topeka, Kan.

Cooper, a 2014 Pearl City alumnus, won all four matches by close decisions to win the first ever national title in any sport for Warner Pacific. He was also named the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler.

“Blake was tremendous and was just unflappable while competing against some very tough wrestlers,” Warner Pacific coach Frank Johnson said in a press release. “He was thrown to his back very early in his first match, but did not panic and battled back to win. That is rare in such a young wrestler.”

Cooper finished the season with a 22-2 record. His decision wins came by scores of 10-7, 4-1 and 9-7 in the semifinals before he beat Grand View’s Dallas Houchins 6-3 in the final.

Baseball

>> Jason Rosen, Punahou ’13: The Portland right fielder went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run and two RBIs in a 10-6 win over UC Riverside in the series opener on Friday.

>> Austin Darmawan, ‘Iolani ’13: The Washington (Mo.) shortstop was 5-for-8 with a walk, two runs and two stolen bases in a doubleheader sweep of Augustana (Ill.) on Friday.

>> Ashkhon Kuhaulua, Kamehameha ’07: The Menlo (Calif.) College right-hander tossed a two-hit shutout with three walks and 14 strikeouts in a 9-0 win over Arizona Christian on Thursday. Kuhaulua was named the GSAC pitcher of the week on Monday, is 3-2 with a 1.16 ERA in seven starts and leads the nation with 65 strikeouts in 462⁄3 innings.

>> Dane Fujinaka, Mid-Pacific ’11: The Menlo (Calif.) College catcher finished 7-for-10 with a double and an RBI in a three-game sweep of Arizona Christian.

>> Alika McGuire, Kamehameha ’12: The Westmont (Calif.) College center fielder went 4-for-7 with a walk, a run, an RBI and two stolen bases in a doubleheader sweep of San Diego Christian on Saturday.

Men’s Basketball

>> Dexter Williams, Moanalua ’11: The Montana Western senior earned his second consecutive nod to the All-Frontier Conference first team on Tuesday. Williams averaged a team-high 15.7 points and led the conference with 7.7 rebounds per game. He also averaged 2.1 assists and was third in the conference with 1.8 steals per game. Williams averaged 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game over his two-year career and shot 52.9 percent from the floor.

Women’s Basketball

>> Kylie Maeda, ‘Iolani ’12:The Brigham Young point guard had a team-high seven assists and three points in a 70-68 loss to San Francisco in the championship game of the West Coast Conference tournament on Tuesday. Maeda had 16 points, five assists and two steals in an 87-67 semifinal win over Santa Clara on Monday by the Cougars, who won the WCC regular-season title and are 26-6.

>> Dawnyelle Awa, Konawaena ’12:The Washington State senior point guard scored eight of her nine points in the first half and added three steals, an assist and a rebound in a 77-73 loss to Southern California in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament last Thursday.

>> Kiki Robertson, Mid-Pacific ’13: The Alaska Anchorage junior guard was named most valuable player of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament on Saturday after leading the Seawolves (33-2) to a 77-57 win over Montana State Billings in the championship game. Robertson tied a tournament record with nine assists and added five points and five rebounds in the final. She became the first player to repeat as the GNAC tournament MVP.

>> Alex Masaquel, ‘Iolani ’13:The William & Mary forward scored 19 points on 9-for-18 shooting and added three rebounds, two assists and two blocks in a 74-64 loss to Elon last Wednesday. The Tribe are seeded seventh in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament and will play No. 10 seed Towson in the first round Wednesday.

Men’s Gymnastics

>> Josh Yee, Thompson Academy ’12:The Oklahoma senior took first place on the horizontal bar with a 15.25 in Saturday’s win over No. 2 Stanford. Yee also finished seventh on both the horse with a 14.8 and the vault with a 14.650. The Sooners have been ranked No. 1 all season.

Women’s Gymnastics

>> Tracie Villanueva, Moanalua ’13: The Seattle Pacific junior finished eighth on the bars with a 9.725 and ninth on the beam in a second-place finish at the Oregon State Triangular on Friday.

>> Kristi Hayashida, Home School ’13: The Seattle Pacific junior scored 9.20 on the beam and 9.475 on the floor exercise on Friday.

>> Jenna Frowein, Punahou ’12: The Stanford junior scored 9.775 on the floor exercise to help the Cardinal beat UCLA and Georgia on Saturday.

>> Joey Ching, Punahou ’12:The Air Force senior scored 9.375 on vault and 9.4 on the floor exercise in the Falcons’ third-place finish to Minnesota and Denver on Sunday.

Softball

>> Kylee Yamamoto, Hawaii Baptist ’12:The Pacific (Ore.) outfielder hit two home runs and finished with six RBIs in four games to help the Boxers go 3-1 against Puget Sound over the weekend.

>> Nalani Antonio, St. Francis ’12: The Pacific (Ore.) first baseman went 5-for-11 with a walk, six runs scored, three RBIs and two stolen bases against the Loggers.

>> Haley Kodama, Kamehameha ’14:The Pacific (Ore.) third baseman hit a solo home run in a 2-1 victory over Puget Sound in the series opener on Saturday.

>> Jaci Young, Punahou ’13:The Puget Sound right-hander threw a complete game in the 2-1 loss to the Boxers, allowing one earned run on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Young also went 3-for-9 in the series at the plate with a double, home run, two runs scored and two RBIs.

>> Kristi Nagamine, Mid-Pacific ’13: The Puget Sound junior center fielder went 5-for-13 with two doubles, a triple, three runs scored and an RBI in the series against the Boxers.

>> Jessica Shimoda, Punahou ’15:The Puget Sound right fielder finished 2-for-9 with three walks and two RBIs against the Boxers.

Men’s Swimming & Diving

>> Renny Richmond, Seabury Hall ’13: The Arizona junior finished second in the 100 freestyle with a time of 42.78 seconds at the Pac-12 Championships that ended Saturday. Richmond also finished third in the 100 butterfly with a time of 46.11 seconds and swam a leg on the 400 medley relay team that placed third with a time of 3:08.28 on Friday. On Thursday, Richmond swam a leg for the winning 200 freestyle relay team (1:17.41) and placed seventh in the 50 freestyle (19.81). Wednesday, he helped the Wildcats take first in the 200 medley relay in 1:23.74.

>> Jonah Hu, Baldwin ’14: The Southern California sophomore finished fourth in the B final of the 200 breaststroke with a time of 1:56.82 on Saturday at the Pac-12 Championships.

>> Ryan Stack, Kamehameha ’14: The Wisconsin sophomore swam a leg on the men’s 400 freestyle relay team that set a school record with a time of 2:52.69 and placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships on Feb. 27.

>> Spencer Madanay, Punahou ’12: The Georgia junior finished in 24th place in the men’s 3-meter dive with 302.15 points at the NCAA Zone B Championships on Monday.

Men’s Tennis

>> Riley Inn, ‘Iolani ’15: The Puget Sound freshman won in straight sets at No. 4 singles and lost a close 8-6 match at No. 1 doubles in a 6-3 loss to Pacific Lutheran on Saturday.

>> Sage Katayama, Island Pacific ’14: The Pacific (Ore.) sophomore dropped only one game in a win at No. 5 singles and also picked up a victory at No. 3 doubles in the Boxers’ 9-0 win over Willamette (Ore.) on Sunday.

>> Kawika Lam, Punahou ’15: The Washington freshman clinched the doubles point for the Huskies with a win at the No. 2 flight in a 5-2 victory over Minnesota on Sunday.

Women’s Tennis

>> Alyssa Tobita, Mililani ’14: The Oregon sophomore won in straight sets at No. 3 singles and was also victorious at No. 2 doubles to help the Ducks defeat Boise State 7-0 on Sunday.

>> Karlene Pang, Hawaii Baptist ’12: The Marist (N.Y.) senior won at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles in a 7-0 win over Lafayette on Saturday.

>> Kanani Kea, Kamehameha ’13: The Pacific (Ore.) redshirt sophomore won in straight sets at No. 3 doubles and dropped only one point in a victory at No. 3 doubles to help the Boxers defeat Willamette (Ore) 9-0 on Sunday.

>> Marissa Hayashi, Waiakea ’15: The Pacific (Ore.) freshman won at No. 4 singles and teamed with Kea in the win at No. 3 doubles against the Bearcats.

>> Chantelle Baclay, Lahainaluna ’15:The Pacific (Ore.) freshman helped the Boxers pick up a win at No. 2 doubles against Willamette (Ore.).

>> Mai Kobayashi, Kealakehe ’14: The Pacific (Ore.) sophomore teamed with Baclay at No. 2 doubles in the win over the Bearcats.

Men’s Volleyball

>> Emmett Enriques, Kamehameha-Hawaii ’15:The Cal Baptist freshman had a match-high 17 digs and three assists in a five-set win over Southern California on Saturday.

>> Rocky DeLyon, Seabury Hall ’12: The Cal Baptist senior outside hitter had nine kills, seven digs and two assists against the Trojans.

>> Gabriel Vega, ‘Iolani ’12: The Stanford junior hit .368 with nine kills, four digs, three block assists, two assists and an ace in a sweep of Pepperdine on Sunday.

>> Evan Enriques, Kamehameha-Hawaii ’14: The Stanford sophomore had six digs and an assist against the Waves.

>> Micah Ma’a, Punahou ’15: The UCLA freshman had a team-high 17 assists, 10 digs, five kills and two aces in a sweep of UC Santa Barbara on Friday.

Women’s Water Polo

>> Roxy Kiessling, Punahou ’14:The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps sophomore attacker scored nine of the 14 goals scored by the Athenas in four games of the Claremont Convergence over the weekend. Kiessling had five goals, including four in the fourth quarter, of a 12-8 loss to Whittier (Calif.) on Saturday and added two more in an 8-4 loss to Concordia (Calif.) later in the day. CMS lost 15-1 to UC San Diego and 19-1 to UC Santa Barbara on Sunday, with Kiessling scoring both goals by CMS.

>> Hi‘ipoi Lee, Kamehameha ’14: The Occidental (Calif.) sophomore scored three goals in a 19-5 win over Caltech at the Claremont Converge on Friday. Lee also scored a goal in a 10-5 loss to Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday.

>> Lauren Boyer, Punahou ’13: The UC San Diego junior scored eight goals in four matches to help the Tritons finish a perfect 4-0 at the Claremont Convergence. Boyer had three goals each in a 15-10 win over La Verne and 14-5 victory over Whittier (Calif.) on Friday.

>> Courtney Miller, Punahou ’12: The UC San Diego senior goalkeeper made 14 saves in the win over Whittier (Calif.) and six saves in a 12-4 victory over Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday.

>> Kolby Kahahawai, Kamehameha ’15: The Redlands (Calif.) freshman scored two goals in an 18-11 win over Concordia (Calif.) at the Claremont Convergence on Saturday.

>> Alea Weber, Baldwin ’14:The Redlands (Calif.) sophomore scored a goal in the fourth quarter of a 15-4 win over Caltech on Saturday at the Claremont Convergence.

>> Leimana Hasset, Kamehameha-Maui ’14: The Whittier (Calif.) sophomore scored two goals in a 12-3 win over Penn State-Behrend on Saturday at the Claremont Convergence.

>> Katie Dalgamouni, Le Jardin ’14: The Chapman (Calif.) sophomore scored a fourth-quarter goal in a 7-4 loss to Sonoma State on Sunday.

Men’s Wrestling

>> David Terao, Mid-Pacific ’11:The American University senior finished in fifth place at 125 pounds at the EIWA Championships on Sunday. Terao, ranked 15th in the country in his weight class, claimed sole possession of first place on the Eagles’ career wins list with 126 following a 12-2 major decision in the fifth-place match.

>> Kevin Corbett, Radford ’11: The Doane (Neb.) College senior became the Tigers’ first two-time All-American with a sixth-place finish at 174 pounds, finishing 4-3 at the NAIA National Championships on Saturday.

>> Dane Pestano, Kamehameha ’13: The Iowa State redshirt sophomore picked up his sixth sudden-victory win of the season before losing in the consolation final at 184 pounds at the Big 12 Championships on Saturday.

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