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FOOTBALL
>> Cameron Friel, Kailua ’21: The UNLV quarterback was named the Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West Conference on Tuesday. Friel ranked fourth among freshmen in FBS completing 62.4 percent of his passes and 10th in passing yards with 1,608, which was also seventh-best overall in the MWC. He is the fifth quarterback ever to earn the MWC’s Freshman of the Year award.
>> Tristan Nichols, Saint Louis ’17: The Nevada senior defensive lineman was named to the All-Mountain West Conference first team on Tuesday. Nichols led the conference in sacks with 10 and closed out the regular season with a season-high five tackles against Colorado State.
>> Jayden de Laura, Saint Louis ’20: The Washington State quarterback was named the Pac-12 freshman offensive player of the week on Monday after completing 27 of 32 passes for 245 yards and running for 31 yards in a 40-13 win over Washington on Friday. De Laura set a WSU Apple Cup record completing 84.3 percent of his passes, which is the fourth-best single-game completion percentage in school history.
>> De’Zhaun Stribling, Kapolei ’20: The Washington State freshman receiver had seven receptions for 57 yards against the Huskies.
>> Mika Tafua, Kamehameha ’15: The Utah junior was named as one of 30 finalists Monday for the Ted Hendricks Award given out to the top defensive end in college football. Tafua has 46 total tackles this season and leads the Pac-12 and is 17th in FBS with 91⁄2 sacks. He also has 13 tackles for loss. In his career, Tafua has started 36 of 42 games he’s played in and is tied among all active Pac-12 defensive linemen with 32 career tackles for loss. The Utes will play Oregon on Friday in the Pac-12 championship game.
>> Roman Wilson, Saint Louis ’20: The Michigan sophomore receiver led the Wolverines with 55 receiving yards, hauling in passes of 31 and 24 yards in a 42-27 win over Ohio State on Saturday to earn a spot in Saturday’s Big Ten championship game against Iowa.
>> Seyddrick Lakalaka, Punahou ’17: The San Diego State senior linebacker had six tackles and one tackle for loss in a 27-16 win over Boise State on Friday to earn a spot in the Mountain West Conference championship game this Saturday against Utah State.
>> Kekaula Kaniho, Kahuku ’17: The Boise State senior safety made six tackles with two tackles for loss against the Aztecs.
>> Kaonohi Kaniho, Kahuku ’20: The Boise State freshman defensive back made four solo tackles and broke up three passes against San Diego State.
>> Vavae Malepeai, Mililani ’16: The Southern California senior running back carried the ball for a team-high 99 yards on 20 carries and scored a touchdown in a 35-31 loss to Brigham Young on Saturday. Malepeai, who has four rushing touchdowns in the past two games, also had two catches for 9 yards.
>> Kana’i Mauga, Waianae ’18: The USC senior linebacker had a team-high nine tackles, assisted on a tackle for loss and intercepted a pass against the Cougars.
>> Muelu Iosefa, Mililani ’20: The California sophomore linebacker made nine tackles with 1 1/2 tackles for loss in a 42-14 loss to UCLA on Saturday.
>> Nick Herbig, Saint Louis ’20: The Wisconsin sophomore linebacker made eight tackles in a 23-13 loss to Minnesota on Saturday.
>> Wayne Taulapapa, Punahou ’17: The Virginia senior running back had five carries for 23 yards and caught two passes for 25 yards in a 29-24 loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday.
>> Aaron Faumui, Kapolei ’18: The Virginia junior defensive lineman made four tackles against the Hokies.
>> Isaac Slade-Matautia, Saint Louis ’17: The SMU junior linebacker made five tackles and assisted on a tackle for loss in a 34-31 loss to Tulsa on Saturday.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
>> Jhenna Gabriel, Maryknoll ’18: The Texas senior setter combined for 66 assists, 11 digs, two kills and two aces in two wins over Texas Tech over the weekend to end the regular season. The Longhorns (24-1), who won the Big 12 championship, are the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host Sacred Heart on Thursday in the opening round.
>> Lexis Akeo, Kamehameha ’19: The Pittsburgh junior setter finished with a team-high 18 assists, six digs and two aces in a four-set loss to No. 1 Louisville to end the regular season last Wednesday. The Panthers earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host American East champion UMBC on Friday.
>> Keonilei Akana, Kamehameha ’20: The Nebraska sophomore defensive specialist had 10 digs, three aces and an assist in a four-set win over Purdue on Saturday to end the regular season. Nebraska (21-7) is the No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host Big South Conference champion Campbell on Friday.
>> Aria McComber, Punahou ’18: The Brigham Young senior libero had 11 digs and an assist in a four-set win over San Diego on Nov. 23 to finish off a perfect 18-0 season in West Coast Conference play. BYU received the No. 11 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host Boise State on Friday.
>> Elena Oglivie, ‘Iolani ’20: The Stanford sophomore libero had a team-high 14 digs, eight assists and two aces in a sweep of California on Saturday. The Cardinal (18-10) will play Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Minneapolis, Minn.
>> Teana Adams-Kaonohi, Punahou ’19: The Kansas State junior setter had a team-high 48 assists, 12 digs, four block assists and three kills in a five-set loss to Kansas on Saturday to end the regular season. The Wildcats (15-12) will play Florida State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Lincoln, Neb.
>> Phoebe Grace, Kahuku ’17: The Utah middle blocker had five kills, five block assists and a solo block in a four-set win over Colorado to end the regular season on Saturday. The Utes (21-8) will play Utah Valley in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Provo, Utah.
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Stats compiled by Billy Hull, Star-Advertiser. To submit an athlete for publication, email: bhull@staradvertiser.com.
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