HONOLULU - University of Hawai`i softball pitcher Justine Smethurst has chosen to take a one-semester hiatus from school as she tries out for the Australian national team to play in the 2008 Olympics.

Smethurst, a junior from Victoria, Australia, earned All-West Region first-team honors last year and has been selected to the All-WAC second team in both of her seasons at Hawai`i. Overall, she has a 35-20 record with a 1.81 ERA, 40 complete games, and 16 shut-outs. She has held opposing batters to a .189 batting average in 356.2 innings pitched with 342 strike outs and 94 walks. In her short UH career, she has thrown three perfect games plus a no-hitter last season at Utah State (Apr. 28) that clinched the WAC regular season title. She has been selected as the WAC Pitcher of the Week six times.

As a sophomore in 2007, she improved in nearly every statistical pitching category as she helped lead the Rainbow Wahine to a 50-13 record, a WAC championship, UH's seventh NCAA tournament appearance, and the school's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Super Regionals. Her season was highlighted by a pair of shut-outs in the Los Angeles Regional--a marathon, career-high, 10-inning win over No.12 UC Santa Barbara and 9-0 victory in the Regional Championship game over Loyola Marymount that propelled UH to the Knoxville Super Regional.

Smethurst attended classes this past Fall, but after she fared well in last week's Australia Open Women's National tournament, she reevaluated her situation. After strong performances on the mound, Smethurst was one of 33 selected to the Australian Institute of Softball's squad. Out of those 33, 15 players and three alternates will be chosen during an Olympic selection camp held Feb. 7-10 in Downey Park, Queensland to represent Australia in Beijing.

During the Open tournament, Smethurst was clocked throwing between 64-67 mph (107-8 kph). Her tournament was highlighted by a pair of complete-game shutouts over South Australia and New South Wales. In a marathon game against SA, Smethurst fired all eight innings with 10 strike outs and three walks. Then, to reach the Open finals, she threw a seven inning shutout over NSW with six strike outs, two walks, and one intentional walk. In all Smethurst pitched in five games, throwing 27 innings with a 1.55 ERA with 28 strike outs and 12 walks. She also hit in seven games, both as a designated player and while pitching.

Also joining Smethurst on the AIS squad are former Rainbow Wahine stand-outs Kate Judd (2000-03), Stacey Porter (2001-03), and Felicity Witt (2001).

The Rainbow Wahine begin practice on Monday, Jan. 20 as they prepare to defend their 2007 WAC crown. UH will have split-squad scrimmages against Chaminade, Feb. 8-9. Hawai`i then opens its 2008 season with the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic, Feb. 14-17. Their first opponent will be Kentucky at 6:00 on Thurs., Feb. 14 at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. The other two teams in the tournament are Central Florida and Long Beach State.

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