The University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Mānoa’s Isabella Kneeshaw became the first ever ߣsir��Ƶʻi athlete to earn Big West Freshman of the Year honors after an incredible first collegiate season.

Kneeshaw took home honors after winning the conference title in the 400m while anchoring a pair of Big West-title winning relay teams in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. UC Irvine’s Kailah McKenzie will share the award with Kneeshaw.

On the final day of the Big West Championships, Kneeshaw helped the 4x100m relay team break the school record for the third time this year, running a 45.03 in the final to win. The freshman then closed strong in the 400m to pull away for the title in 54.01 seconds to post the second-fastest time in school history.

Kneeshaw capped off her meet by running the final leg of the 4x400m relay squad that took home the conference title in 3:39.47, coming within 0.37 seconds of the program record. She again ran a strong final closing stretch, pulling away in the final 100 meters once again to make the Rainbow Wahine the first team since 2017 to sweep both relays at the Big West title meet.

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Two University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Mānoa athletes, Hallee Mohr and Tara Wyllie, earned spots in the NCAA West Regional, securing spots for next week’s national preliminaries.

Mohr will represent ߣsir��Ƶ in the discus after winning the Big West title and setting a school record. The senior capped off her final conference championship dominating the Big West field in the discus and set a program record with a toss of 58.25m (191-1) and sits in 11th place in the west region. This also marks the third straight year that Mohr will compete at the NCAA West Regionals in the discus.

Wyllie will compete in the triple jump after finishing with the No.2 mark in the conference this season. The sophomore is the first Rainbow Wahine triple jumper to qualify for the NCAA postseason since 2015. Wyllie posted the No.2 outdoor mark in program history at the Stanford Invitational, jumping 12.77m (41-10.75) to better her fifth-best program mark of 12.69m that she posted the previous meet. Wyllie also won the MPSF indoor triple jump title in February.

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Six University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Mānoa student-athletes have earned All-Big West honors. Izabella Martinez and Maya Nakamura were both named to the all-conference second team, while Mya’Liah Betha, Chloe Borges, Haley Johnson and Dallas Millwood all earned honorable mentions.

Martinez, hit a .298 overall and was tied for second on the team with 38 hits. She finished her 2024 campaign with six doubles and 22 RBI and a team-high of 19 walks. The junior catcher started all 46 games and threw out a career-high 15 runners trying to steal on her, which ranks her second in the league and 11th in the NCAA Division I.

Nakamura’s senior campaign was cut short due to a season-ending injury, however that did not deter the conference coaches from recognizing her abilities and importance to the ߣsir��Ƶ team. For the season, she led ߣsir��Ƶ both overall and in conference with a .312 and .450 batting averages respectively. She concluded her career with a .324 batting average with 155 hits, 105 runs scored, 24 doubles, four triples, 22 home runs and 96 RBI. She had a career slugging percentage of .528 and on-base percentage of .441. Nakamura has earned all-conference honors all four seasons of her career. This is her third time making the all-Big West second team after making the first team as a junior.

For the second-straight season, Bethea led the Big West with 12 home runs for the year. The senior utility player primarily played in leftfield where she started 38 games, but she also saw time in center field and at first base. Overall, Bethea led ߣsir��Ƶ with 26 runs scored and a .575 slugging percentage.

Borges, the center fielder/pitcher had a breakout season, starting a career-high 39 games in center field and three at pitcher making 13 total appearances in the pitching circle overall. On offense, she finished the season tied for second in the Big West with 30 RBI. Overall, she hit .269 (28-for-104) with 13 runs scored, two doubles and eight home runs. She recorded a .519 slugging percentage and led ߣsir��Ƶ with eight multiple-RBI games. She also reached base safely in 21-straight games to lead the ‘Bows.

Johnson earned honorable mention honors for the second time. She started all 46 games at designated player, but also saw limited action at catcher. Overall, she hit .310 going 39-for-126 with a team-high seven doubles with a triple and a home run and 11 RBI. She finished her collegiate career hitting .292 with 19 doubles, four triples, nine home runs and 66 RBI.

After suffering a season-ending injury in the second week of the 2023 season, senior first baseman Millwood worked hard to make her way back onto the field for her final season. She made her return this year starting all 46 games at first base. She finished the season hitting .261 with four doubles and three home runs. She was second on the team with 25 RBI and seven multiple-RBI games. She finished her ߣsir��Ƶ career with a .260 career batting average with 80 hits, 13 doubles, 10 home runs and 60 RBI. This is Millwood’s second Big West honorable mention award.

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Three University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Hilo tennis student-athletes were named to the Academic All-District Teams on May 14. Luca Matheiowetz and Lamar Bartley were recognized from the team, and Julia Barden from the team.

The award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. To be eligible, student-athletes must be sophomore standing or above, have a 3.5 or higher cumulative ߣsir��Ƶe point average and participate in at least 90% of the games during the season.

All three Vulcans are departing student-athletes. Barden and Bartley ߣsir��Ƶuated in the spring with a bachelor’s in psychology. Matheiowetz will finish in the fall with bachelor’s degrees in business administration—finance and accounting.

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The University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Hilo team concluded their 2024 season at the NCAA Men’s Golf South Central/West Regional, highlighted by student-athlete Dylan Bercan’s 10th place finish.

Bercan shot a four-under 67 in the final round for a -2 overall score. In round 2, Bercan shot a three-under 68 score to shoot up 50 spots on the individual leaderboard before hitting five birdies to snake up 15 more slots to a three-way tie at No.2 10.

ߣsir��Ƶ Hilo totaled 293 on the final day. The Vulcans finished +33 for a tie with Cal State East Bay and Cal State San Marcos.

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This spring, the (KLFC) at the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Mānoa secured $1.3 million to advance Korean language education. On May 1, the Defense Language National Language Education Office announced Flagship programs awarded a four-year grant. KLFC is the sole Korean language Flagship program bestowed the competitive grant and is one of just 19 language Flagship programs nationwide.

Among a plethora of opportunities KLFC extends to ߣsir��Ƶ is a one-year Capstone program in Korea. This July, five ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa ߣsir��Ƶ will participate in the Korean Flagship Overseas Program at Korea University in Seoul. Christine Mau and Keziah Yoo received the prestigious Boren Scholarship which will help fund their study abroad experience. The coveted award provides funds for underߣsir��Ƶuate ߣsir��Ƶ embarking on international study in regions critical to U.S. interests. Both ߣsir��Ƶ follow a long line of Boren scholars from ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa.

Mackenzie Migdal, a dual major in political science and Korean at ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa completed KLFC’s program in 2023.

“I’m proud of who I have become. Learning different languages expands our linguistic abilities and broadens our cultural horizons, fostering empathy and understanding. Languages connect us to the world, and I’m thankful to the Korean Language Flagship for teaching me this,” said Migdal who ߣsir��Ƶuated last summer.

Matthew Eteuati, currently immersed in the Korean Flagship Overseas Program, hopes to work for the federal government, where he can utilize Korean language skills to forge new connections and develop contracts that are mutually beneficial to multiple parties.

“The results achieved through international cooperation, regardless of the field, are exponentially larger than alone,” Eteuati said. “A superior proficiency in Korean language will allow me to bridge the two countries politically and industrially.”

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Since its inception in 2002, the KLFC has been a beacon of excellence in language education, aiming to cultivate specialists with superior-level proficiency in Korean. Through immersive language learning environments, tutoring programs and a one-year Capstone program in Korea. The center has nurtured a generation of professionals and scholars deeply connected to Korean language and culture.

The KLFC accepts applications year-round. Those interested in dual underߣsir��Ƶuate degrees, Korean proficiency improvement, an overseas program and internship in Korea, or professional career opportunities are strongly encouraged to apply. Flagship applications can be submitted to the website.

KLFC is housed in the ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa .

University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Mānoa athlete Raha Peiravani, is the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2024 NCAA Division I Womenʻs Water Polo Championship recognizing achievements for the student-athlete’s academics.

Peiravani, majoring in finance with a minor in psychology, currently carries a 4.0 GPA. Peiravani was presented with the award during the championship banquet at the University Club in Berkeley, California.

The Elite 90, an award founded by the NCAA, recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative ߣsir��Ƶe-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA‘s championships.

Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above academically who have participated in a sport for at least two years with their school. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.

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University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Mānoa student Anamaria Navarrete has always been fascinated by severe weather. As she ߣsir��Ƶuates this spring with a degree in , Navarrete is proud to have persisted on the journey as a first-generation college student and looks ahead to ߣsir��Ƶuate school.

Navarrete was reluctant to pursue a STEM field that has a reputation for being academically challenging. She began her academic journey as a political science major and intended to pursue law school. By spring 2021, she realized that law was not the career pathway for her. She switched to atmospheric sciences in the ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa (SOEST) and continued to pursue a minor in political science.

“I knew it would be difficult but I was willing to work hard,” said Navarrete. “Now that I am almost done with my degree, I am so incredibly happy that I made the switch, as I cannot see myself studying anything else. Not only do I love the subject, but the department professors, staff, and my fellow peers made this experience very memorable by being so supportive of one another.”

Gaining research experience, skills

While meeting with her academic advisor and atmospheric sciences department chair Jennifer Small Griswold, Navarrete shared her interest in pursuing ߣsir��Ƶuate school. Griswold offered her an opportunity to work on a senior thesis project. Although not required to complete the underߣsir��Ƶuate degree, Navarrete started the research project to learn new skills, such as computer coding, and gain experience to prepare her to complete a master’s thesis.

Check out more stories of our ߣsir��Ƶ spring ߣsir��Ƶuates

“Anamaria was a perfect candidate for a senior thesis,” said Griswold. “Her innate curiosity flourished doing independent research and allowed her to pursue her own scientific question and decide on the tools she needed to answer it. She became a competent programmer during her research because she needed to learn how to code to answer her question and reach her goal.”

Navarrete’s research over the past year has focused on understanding how various atmospheric and oceanic systems, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation and the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool, affect tropical cyclone creation and progression. She has analyzed satellite data from three tropical cyclones that impacted Fiji during the 2020–21 tropical cyclone season.

“Local-scale studies like this are essential,” said Navarrete. “Improving our understanding of microclimates on each island of Fiji can improve the accuracy of weather forecasts, validate climate model output, and even be useful in climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.”

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–By Marcie Grabowski

University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Hilo player Cody Min was selected to the 2024 All-PacWest as a utility fielder.

Min began the season as a designated hitter before also playing first base and eventually sharing time as part of the catching rotation. Min totaled 126 putouts, 12 assists and a .330 batting average during the conference season.

Overall, Min led the Vulcans with a .356 batting average, 63 hits, 29 runs scored and a .409 on-base percentage.

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University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at ����ԴDz� men’s golfer Blaze Akana was named to the All-Big West first team.

Akana led the team with a 71.67 scoring average which is the second-lowest in program history behind Matthew Kodama’s 71.50 average in 2003-04. Akana was already ranked No. 2 after averaging 72.37 strokes per round last season, his first as a Rainbow Warrior after transferring from Sacramento State.

Akana is the first ߣsir��Ƶ golfer to earn first-team all-conference honors since T.J. Kua was named to the all-Western Athletic Conference first team in 2012. Since ߣsir��Ƶ joined to the Big West in 2012, no other Rainbow Warrior had earned first team honors.

He posted two Top 10 finishes this season and concluded his ߣsir��Ƶ career with a final round 5-under 67 to tie for 18th at the Big West Championship. He posted a team-best 12 rounds under par including six in the 60s.

For more go to ߣsir��ƵiAthletics.com.

https://hawaiiathletics.com/news/2024/5/7/mens-golf-akana-nabs-programs-first-all-big-west-honor.aspx