The 2014 Rainbow Wahine soccer team finished the season 7-10-1 overall and eighth in the Big West with a 2-5-1 mark. Five Rainbow Wahine earned mention including senior Krystal Pascua, junior Lidia Battaglia, and sophomore Storm Kenui who were all named to the all-Big West second team. Kama Pascua garnered honorable mention honors and Sonest Furtado earned a spot on the all-freshman team. Kenui also grabbed NSCAA all-region honors, just the fifth Rainbow Wahine player to do so, and Ashley Haruki and Hayden Gibson were named to the NSCAA Scholar All-West Region Team. Crowds continued to flock to the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium as UH led the Big West and ranked 16th in the nation in average home attendance (1,178). In addition, 10 players were named to the Big West All-Academic Team: Lidia Battaglia, Alexis Colacchio, Hayden Gibson, Ashley Haruki, Storm Kenui, Kama Pascua, Krystal Pascua, Madison Reed, T.J. Reyno, Lauren Takai.
UH concluded the 2014 season with four runners participating in the NCAA West Regional. Under first-year cross country coach
, the Rainbow Wahine placed ninth at the Big West Championships. Freshman Montana Martinez was UH's top finisher in all eight races and posted the team's top 5K and 6K times.
UH finished the season at 22-13 after advancing all the way to the Big West Conference Tournament final. The 20-plus wins made it the program's first back-to-back 20-win seasons in 17 years. The Rainbow Warriors entertained fans with an offense that led the league in points per game with point guard Roderick Bobbitt earning conference defensive player of the year honors and becoming just the fourth Big West player to notch 100 steals in a season. He also set a new UH single game mark with 10 with steals against UH-Hilo. Aaron Valdes and Stefan Jankovic earned Big West honorable mention honors. The season featured wins over Pittsburgh as well as victories against Nebraska and Colorado en route to a third-place finish at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. UH's season began with the loss of all-conference forward Isaac Fotu and the dismissal of head coach Gib Arnold amidst an ongoing NCAA investigation of the program, as assistant coach Benjy Taylor took over the team as preseason camp opened. Following the season,
, a former UH assistant coach under Riley Wallace and Bob Nash, was hired as UH's 21st head coach.
The Rainbow Wahine posted a 23-9 overall record and won the Big West Conference with a 14-2 league mark. After losing the first two conference games on the road to start the season, UH reeled off 14 straight wins to close the regular season with the title. It was the first conference title since UH won the Western Athletic Conference in 1997-98 and the fourth overall conference crown after the 'Bows won back-to-back Big West titles in 1993 and 1994. The Rainbow Wahine advanced to their third straight Women's National Invitational Tournament, the second time the program has made three consecutive appearances (2000-03), but fell in overtime at St. Mary's College of California. The Rainbow Wahine achieved more than 20 wins this season for the first time since 2001-02 and have hit the 20-win mark 13 times in school history. The team recorded a 15-game win streak which took them into the Big West tournament's championship game before losing to CSUN. The 15-game win streak was the longest since UH won 19 straight in 1997-98. Destiny King and Shawna-Lei Kuehu both were named to the BWC All-Tournament Team with five others earning regular season all-conference honors. Head Coach
was voted Coach of the Year; Megan Huff was named Best Sixth Player of the Year and was voted to the all-freshman team; Ashleigh Karaitiana was named all-Big West Second Team and Shawna-Lei Kuehu was picked to the all-BWC first team. Coach Beeman is just the second UH Women's Head Basketball Coach to earn Coach of the Year honors after former coach Vince Goo earned the award three times in the Big West (1989, 1993, 1994). Huff is the third consecutive Rainbow Wahine to be voted "Sixth Player of the Year." Kuehu earned the honor in 2013 and Karaitiana won in 2014. It is just the eighth time in program history that a Rainbow Wahine earned first-team Big West honors and, for Kuehu, it was her fourth career all-conference honor. Kuehu also became the 18th player in UH history to join the 1,000 point club and the 10th member of the 1,000 point/500 rebound club as well. She finished her stellar career ranked No. 7 in UH's all-time scoring record book with 1,245 points and No. 8 in career rebounds with 645. She also is No. 6 in career blocked shots (125); No. 9 in steals (161); No. 10 in offensive rebounds (186) and No. 6 in defensive rebounds (459). The sixth-year senior also ended her career ranked No. 1 in games played with 125 from 2010-2015.
The Rainbow Warrior swimming & diving team finished third at the 2015 MPSF Swimming & Diving Championships, headlined by another standout performance by sophomore diver Amund Gismervik, who was named MPSF Diver of the Year after taking gold in all three events. Gismervik was the only Rainbow Warrior to represent the UH men at the NCAA Championships and finished the season 12
th in the country on the platform event earning him honorable mention All-American honors. Additionally, sophomore swimmer Victor Goicoechea was voted all-MPSF first team in the 200 free, 500 free, and 1650 free after taking gold in all three events. Collectively, the Rainbow Warriors landed eight on the all-conference first team across 15 different events. Additionally, UH earned two first-team relay honors (200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay) and three second team relay honors (800 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay).
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Kira Webster was named the MPSF's Freshman of the YearWomen's Swimming and DivingThe 2014-15 UH Women's swimming and diving team brought home the University of Hawai'i's first-ever MPSF Championships title across any sport or gender and the program's third-ever conference title and first since winning the Western Athletic Conference Championships in 2006. Senior Jasmine Alkhaldi, who represented UH at the 2015 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships, was named MPSF Swimmer of the Year after winning three individual conference titles in the 50 free (22.49) 100 free (48.87) and 200 free (1:46.70) while setting new meet records in each event. Alkhaldi additionally swam legs from UH's winning 200 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 free relay and 800 free relay teams for a total of seven championship victories and first-team all-conference honors. The 'Bows swept the 2015 MPSF major awards with Kira Webster earning MPSF Freshman of the Year after providing a leg for UH's winning 800 free relay team. She also took second-place in the 1650 free (16:31.46), third in the 500 free (4:50.98), and fifth in the 200 free (1:49.10) for four all-conference honors in her first-ever MPSF Championship. Head swimming coach
Victor Wales was named MPSF Women's Coach of the Year for the fifth major conference coaching award of his career. Last season, Wales was named MPSF Men's Coach of the Year after the Rainbow Warriors took second at the championships. Diving coaches
Mike Brown and
Anita Rossing were named MPSF Diving Co-Coaches of the Year after leading the Rainbow Wahine to another outstanding showing at the conference championships. Combined, the coaches have accumulated 17 major conference awards after being named Women's Co-Coaches of the Year for three straight seasons. Divers Aimee Harrison and Lauren Hall also competed at the 2015 NCAA Championships with Harrison walking away with All-American honorable mention honors.
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SPRING SPORTS
Baseball
Tyler Brashears became UH's first all-Big West first-team selectionThe Rainbow Warrior baseball team reached a new height in Big West play, registering a 12-12 record for the best conference finish since joining one of the toughest leagues in the nation. Heading into the final weekend, the 'Bows were sitting in fourth with title contention still on the table. UH finished with a 21-32 overall record and were fifth in the Big West, battling through a schedule which featured 14 games against ranked opposition—with 21 games decided by two runs or less. The UH pitching staff held its own, ranking third in Big West with a 3.00 Earned Run Average (ERA) against conference foes. Highlighting the UH rotation was newcomer Tyler Brashears, who is the first UH player to be named first-team all-Big West, after registering an 8-5 record and Big West second-best 1.86 ERA. Earning second-team all-Big West honors, closer Quintin Torres-Costa was crucial to UH's conference success, logging an 0.75 ERA with a 1-1 record through 16 games in relief, tallying eight saves. Top-hitting shortstop Jacob Sheldon-Collins (.295) joined designated hitter Alex Sawelson (.262) and relief pitcher Andrew Jones (4.50 ERA) in All-BWC honorable mention. In June, RHP Tyler Brashears (14th round, No. 418) became the highest UH draft pick since 2011, taken by the Tampa Bay Rays. Also selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft were RHP L.J. Brewster (22nd round, No. 656) by the Miami Marlins and LHP Quintin Torres-Costa (35th round, No. 1,051) by the Milwaukee Brewers.
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Chas Okamoto and Nils Schuhmann earned all-Big West honors in singlesMen's TennisThe Rainbow Warrior tennis team posted a 6-14 overall record and finished in sixth place in the Big West. Chas Okamoto and Nils Schuhmann both were selected to the all-Big West second team in singles while doubles partners Carter Lam and Marcel Chan were voted to the all-conference second team. Joakim Pinola and Schuhmann also earned Big West honorable mention honors. For Schuhmann, it was the second straight season that he earned all-conference accolades in both singles and doubles.
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Women's Tennis
Cindy Nguyen was named Big West Player of the Year
and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second straight seasonThe Rainbow Wahine tennis team finished the season with a 10-10 overall record and a 5-3 conference mark good for a tie for fourth place in the Big West. The 'Bows recorded one of the biggest wins in program history when they knocked off No. 29 Kentucky, 4-3 on Jan. 13. Hawai'i was ranked in the Top 75 for 10 of the 17 weeks of the season—ascending as high as No. 48 on Feb. 24. Sophomore Cindy Nguyen tallied a 15-3 overall dual match record and a perfect 7-0 Big West record all at No. 1 to became the first Rainbow Wahine ever to earn conference Player of the Year honors. Nguyen was ranked as high as No. 68 after defeating Michigan's No. 21 Ronit Yurovsky. She was also named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Southwest Region "Player to Watch" and for the second straight season, Nguyen earned the Big West's automatic bid to the NCAA Singles Championship tournament as the highest ranked player in the conference. Viktoria Malova became the second UH player to ever be named Freshman of the Year while earning second-team all-Big West honors after posting a 12-7 overall dual match record all on the No. 2 court. Doubles partners Paulina Petriskova and Martina Kostalova were named to the Big West second team while Rebecca Faltusz and Nguyen earned honorable mention honors.
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Chloe Barr was named Big West Player of the Year
after leading the league in goals per matchWater PoloThe University of Hawai'i women's water polo team wrapped up an exciting 2015 season, making just its fifth-ever appearance at the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship in Stanford, Calif. Despite dropping two straight matches at the tournament, the Rainbow Wahine ended the year with a win over UC San Diego for seventh place. After finishing off the regular season with a 19-10 overall and 3-2 Big West Conference record, the third-seeded 'Bows stunned top-seeded UC Irvine in the final seconds of an overtime thriller for the 2015 Big West Championship title, the program's second BWC title since first joining the conference in 2013. Head coach
Maureen Cole was named the 2015 Big West Coach of the Year, with sophomore Chloe Barr, who led the conference in goals per match (1.96) headlining as Big West Player of the Year. Additionally, Claire Nixon and Paula Chillida Esforzado were named first-team all-league, while senior Zoe Respondek earned honorable mention. The Rainbow Wahine finished tied for sixth in the country with Princeton in the final CWPA Coaches Poll.
Men's Volleyball
Taylor Averill was named AVCA First Team All-AmericanThe 2015 University of Hawai'i men's volleyball season showcased one of the most successful in program history. The Rainbow Warriors reached as high as No.1 in the AVCA national poll for the first time since 2004, reinvigorating the spirit of the program as a whole. UH finished the season with a 24-7 overall record, the most wins since 2003. Additionally, they finished second in the MPSF final regular season standings with an 18-4 mark, their highest since 2006. Head coach
Charlie Wade guided the 'Bows to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 13 years. In the MPSF Tournament, they beat Long Beach State in the quarterfinal at the Stan Sheriff Center before suffering a gut-wrenching four-set loss to Pepperdine. UH received one of two at-large bids to participate in an NCAA play-in match but fell just short of making the NCAA Final Four after losing to Penn State. Five players were recognized with AVCA All-American honors, the most UH has ever produced in a single season. Senior middle blocker Taylor Averill had an outstanding season with first-team All-American and all-MPSF selections. He was also named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District First Team, selected AVCA Player of the Week during the season, and was honored with UH's prestigious Jack Bonham Award. Opposite Brook Sedore was named to the All-American second team and Kolby Kanetake, Jennings Franciskovic, and Sinisa Zarkovic garnered All-American honorable mention honors.
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Leisha Li'ili'i was named all-conference for the fourth time and
ended her career ranked in UH's Top 3 in three major statistical categoriesSoftballThe Rainbow Wahine softball team finished in third place in the Big West closing the season strong winning five of its last six games. Overall the 'Bows posted a 32-22 overall record while going 13-8 in the Big West. Five Rainbow Wahine earned conference honors with Leisha Li'ili'i cementing herself as one of the most prolific hitters to wear the green and white. Li'ili'i was voted to the Big West's first team after hitting .400 (26-for-65) in conference and .325 overall (51-for-157). She led UH with 11 home runs, 37 RBI and 51 hits (tied with Keiki Carlos). Li'ili'i started all 215 games in her career and etched her name in the UH career record books, finishing at No. 3 with 49 home runs; No. 3 with 155 RBI and No. 3 108 walks. Li'ili'i earned all-conference honors every single year—including first-team all-Big West honors for three straight seasons. Brittany Hitchcock, Heather Morales and Kayla Wartner all were voted to the Big West second team while Carlos earned honorable mention honors. Hitchcock, a redshirt freshman, also was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association all-West Region team after recording an 18-7 overall record with a 2.37 ERA in 29 starts and 174.1 innings pitched. Morales led UH with a .331 batting average and posted career highs with seven home runs and 32 RBI as a sophomore. Wartner earned her second all-conference honor after hitting .306 with 37 runs, 10 doubles and 10 home runs. Carlos led UH with 38 runs scored, 51 hits, 11 doubles and six stolen bases.
Men's Golf
Scotty Yamashita finished in the top 30 at the Big West ChampionshipsThe Rainbow Warriors participated in eight tournaments during the 2014-15 season under the direction of 17-year head coach
Ronn Miyashiro. The 'Bows placed ninth at the Big West Championships with junior Scotty Yamashita pacing the team with a tie for 28th place. Sophomore Skye Inakoshi led the team with a 74.5 scoring average while sophomore Pono Tokioka had a team-high four rounds in the 60s and the team's top finish with a tie for fifth at the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational.
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Izzy Leung earned her second all-Big West selection and helped
the 'Bows to a runner-up finish at the Big West ChampionshipsWomen's GolfThe Rainbow Wahine concluded a successful season under seven-year head coach
Lori Castillo with a runner-up finish at the Big West Championships, posting their best three-round score in school history (887). Sophomore Izzy Leung opened the season with her first collegiate victory at the Oregon State Invitational and went on to earn second-team all-Big West honors. The Shatin, Hong Kong native led the squad with a 75.4 average and was the team-leader in seven tournaments. Seven of the eight team members were recognized as UH Scholar-Athletes, including sophomore Raquel Ek, who was runner-up at the Big West Championships with a career-low score of 213.
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Brittany Tiegs (L) and Nikki Taylor (R) were UH's All-American selectionsSand VolleyballIn just its fourth season of existence, the Rainbow Wahine sand volleyball team produced a memorable 2015 campaign. Under the guidance of first-year head coach
Jeff Hall, UH started the season with a win over defending national champion and preseason No.1 Pepperdine, the second straight season the Sandbows delivered a season-opening win over a defending national champion. Brittany Tiegs and Nikki Taylor were named AVCA All-Americans for the third and second times, respectively, as the team achieved a No.1 ranking during the season and qualfiied as one of the eight teams in the AVCA National Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The Rainbow Wahine lost to Long Beach State in the tourney opener before winning their losers bracket match but bowing out with a loss to Pepperdine. The program also broke new ground, playing its first matches at the newly opened Ching Courts at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex. In addition, two matches were broadcast live statewide on OCSports TV.
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Alex Porlier Langois became UH's first shot putter
to qualify for the NCAA ChampionshipsTrack & FieldThrower Alex Porlier Langlois became the first UH shot putter to qualify for the NCAA Championships, where she placed 19
th. Porlier Langlois – one of two UH athletes to participate in the NCAA West Preliminary Round along with triple jumper Rachel Toliver – competed in both the discus and shot put events, the latter of which she placed ninth to qualify for nationals. Under the direction of 15-year head coach
Carmyn James, the Rainbow Wahine captured four medals at the Big West Championships, including golds by Toliver (triple jump) and Porlier Langlois (shot put), to place sixth in the team standings. Porlier Langlois also took silver in the discus and was a bronze medalist in the shot put at the MPSF Indoor Championships. The St. Cesaire, Quebec native broke school shot put records during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Toliver set the indoor 200-meter record while Zhane Santiago eclipsed the indoor 60-meter hurdles mark.
Sailing
Coed and women's sailing posted a pair of top 20 finishesThe University of Hawai'i coed sailing team finished another strong year making it to the ICSA Gill Coed National Semifinals, landing 11
th among the country's top squads, while the women's team finished 13
th at the Sperry Women's Semifinals. The 'Bows finished fourth at the 2015 PCCSC Coed Conference Championship regatta with 134 points under the leadership of skipper Giacomo Paoletti, who earned the Michael Murison Memorial Sportsmanship award. Meanwhile, the Rainbow Wahine took fourth in the conference. UH competed in over six different regattas in the Spring, opening the season hosting the Peter Wenner Rainbow Invitational, where the 'Bows took second and the Rainbow Wahine finished 11
th. The Coed team's season was also highlighted by a huge victory at the St. Francis Intercollegiate, outperforming the second-place finisher by a staggering 36-point margin. The Fall season began with the PCCSC Match Race Championship, where the 'Bows tied for third. UH competed in over five different events and finished with back-to-back top finishes at the PCCSC Fall Dinghy Championships. The Rainbow Wahine only sailed in three different events in the fall, beginning with the Stoney Burke Intersectional where they took 10
th.
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