University of Hawaii center Bia Mantellato Dias picked up two of the Big West’s top women’s water polo awards on Friday when she was named the conference’s Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.
Mantellato Dias was joined on the All-Big West first team by UH attacker Alba Bonamusa Boix. Goalkeeper Bridget Layburn and defender Emma van Rossum made the second team and utility Lot Stertefeld was an honorable mention selection.
Mantellato Dias scored 82 goals, the third-highest single-season total in program history. She became the fourth UH player to be named Big West Player of the Year and the first since Irene Gonzalez in 2019. She was also the third straight Rainbow Wahine to earn the Freshman of the Year award.
Gordon sixth in Big West Heptathlon
Hawaii’s Sammie Gordon is in sixth place at the Big West Heptathlon after the first day in Fullerton, Calif.
After the first four events, Gordon leads three Rainbow Wahine competing with 2,960 points, followed closely by Anna Marx in eighth with 2,902. Catherine Tochette sits in 13th with 2,625 points. Gordon’s best performance came in the 200m dash, where she finished second, and was top 10 in the 100 hurdles and the high jump. Marx took third in the high jump, and was in the top 10 of all four events.
Long Beach State’s Hailey Fune leads the event with 3,314 points. The event wil conclude with its last two events today, with the long jump and javelin throw.
Wahine tennis bounced in NCAA first round
The Rainbow Wahine tennis team saw its season come to a close on Friday in Norman, Okla., falling 4-0 to No. 13 and host team Oklahoma.
After the Sooners won the doubles point, Oklahoma then swept the first three singles matches to clinch the win. The loss concludes a historic season for the Rainbow Wahine, in which they won the Big West regular-season title and the Big West tournament title in the same year for the first time in program history. Hawaii finishes the season at 14-8.
Sutherlin one-hits Hawaii softball team
Cal State Fullerton’s Myka Sutherlin tossed a one-hit shutout, as the Titans defeated the Rainbow Wahine 1-0 in Fullerton, Calif., to open a three-game series on Friday.
The Titans (31-16, 18-4 Big West) scratched out their lone run in the first inning off Brianna Lopez when Daisy Munoz hit an RBI single to score Alexa Neil. Sutherlin then outdueled Lopez, striking out 13 and walking just one in her one-hitter. Lopez allowed just two hits while walking four and striking out six, but the Rainbow Wahine (29-19, 12-10) could not muster any offense to support her.
The teams will play a doubleheader today, with the first game starting at 11 a.m.
