University of Hawaii alumna Amy Atwell waived by Sparks

Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.

Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.

Get unlimited access

From as low as $12.95 /mo.

Subscribe Now

Former Rainbow Wahine basketball player Amy Atwell has been waived by the Los Angeles Sparks, the organization announced Tuesday.

Atwell, whom the Sparks selected with the 27th overall pick in the WNBA Draft, made the opening day roster after scoring a team-high 19 points on 6-for-6 3-point shooting in the Sparks’ preseason finale.

She appeared in four regular-season games for Los Angeles, making her lone start in the season opener. In 8.0 minutes per contest, she averaged 0.8 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists.

Atwell will head back to her hometown of Perth, Australia, where she is set to play for the Perth Lynx in the 2022-23 WNBL season. She signed with the team on Saturday.

Vulcans win their first Hawaii Challenge

Hawaii Hilo claimed the 2021-22 PacWest Hawaii Challenge, the school’s first since its inception in 2015-16.

The Challenge pits Hawaii’s three NCAA Division II schools against each other, with the competition comprising nine sports that Hawaii Hilo, Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade all compete in. Those nine sports are women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s tennis, men’s golf and softball.

Basketball, soccer, softball, and volleyball points are awarded for head-to-head matchups, with two for a win and one for a tie. The team with the highest total is awarded three points, while the second-highest gets two and third place gets one. In cross country, golf and tennis, points are awarded in the order of finish at the PacWest Championships.

The Vulcans claimed the title by a point in the closest finish since the first Challenge. UH Hilo finished the school year with 22 points, while Hawaii Pacific just missed out on six straight wins with 21 points. Chaminade finished in third with 13.

Hawaii Hilo and Hawaii Pacific each claimed four first-place points, but the Vulcans set themselves apart by not finishing below second in any of the nine sports. The Sharks made a late run, taking all three first-place points in the spring (men’s golf, women’s tennis, softball). UHH clinched a first-place tie when its golf team finished ahead of Chaminade at the PacWest Championships. The Vulcans claimed the title outright on the final day of the Challenge, when the softball team beat Chaminade in the first game of their doubleheader in Hilo.