Marshall isles anglers step up
A 457-pound marlin caught by Ladie Jack from Tom Siebler's Maka Iwa carried the Marshalls Billfish Club into first place yesterday in the 40th Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament at Kailua-Kona on the Big Island.Jack, the assistant mayor of the Marshall island of Majuro, brought in the big Pacific Blue after a two-hour, 39-minute fight. It gave his team a total of 709 points, to 579 for first-day leader Hilo Yacht Club.
AKEBONO SETS WEDDING DATE: Yokozuna Akebono, or Chad Rowan from Hawaii, and his Japanese-American wife Christine Reiko Kalina announced today that their wedding ceremony will be held Oct. 3 in Tokyo.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Foley and his wife Heather will take part in the ceremony.
Akebono and his wife registered their marriage in April. The couple's daughter, Caitlin Reina, was born May 19.
Akebono first met Kalina in 1988, shortly after making his debut in sumo. He became the first foreign wrestler to attain yokozuna status in 1993.
BYU, UH 1-2 IN PRESEASON POLL: Brigham Young University and the University of Hawaii, the teams that have battled it out for the women's volleyball conference title the past two years, were picked 1-2 in yesterday's Western Athletic Conference coaches poll.
BYU's two-time defending WAC Tournament champions received 13 of the 16 first-place votes. Hawaii, runner-up to BYU both seasons, got the remaining three votes.
ROOT, HAYASHI SHARE LEAD: Defending champion Joe Root and Hilo Municipal's Kevin Hayashi shot 73 yesterday for 36-hole totals of 146 to share the lead in the AT&T Aloha Section Stroke Play Championship at the Mauna Kea Beach Resort golf course.
One stroke back at 147 going into today's final round were Mark Morrison and John Freitas. Mark Chapleski, the first-round leader with a 68, ballooned to an 81 yesterday for a 149 total.
Kerry Greenwood leads the senior division with a 36-hole total of 158. Ron Castillo Sr. is second at 160.
TOMORI, UMEMURA SET PACE: Christel Tomori shot a 74 and Anna Umemura a 76 to continue their duel in the HSWGA Women's Stroke Play Championship yesterday at the Mid-Pacific Country Club.
Umemura is the defending champion and Tomori, who will be turning pro after this tournament, won it in 1994.
Marie Miyashiro is third at 77 as the 54-hole tournament ends tomorrow.
TWO SEEDED DOUBLES TEAMS ADVANCE: Ryan Ideta and Alex Sugai, seeded second in the Kailua Night Doubles tennis tournament, advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over David Lam and Peter Sohn at Kailua Racquet Club.
In another quarterfinal, No. 3 seed Russell Santos and John Van Helmond defeated Chanon Alcon and Myles Uyema, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-1).