Hawaii Beat

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Wednesday, January 5, 2000

Jones is finalist
for ‘Bear’ Bryant
coaching honor

Hawaii's June Jones is one of seven finalists for the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award, which will be presented tomorrow by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters during an American Heart Association banquet at Houston.

In his first season as UH coach, Jones guided the Rainbows to a 9-4 finish, matching the biggest turnaround (from 0-12 in 1998) in NCAA Division I history.

The other finalists, all of whom will attend, are Barry Alvarez of Wisconsin, Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech, Mike DuBose of Alabama, Glen Mason of Minnesota, Bob Pruett of Marshall and Bobby Bowden of national champion Florida State.

President George Bush will be the keynote speaker at the award dinner. All proceeds from the event benefit the Houston Division of the American Heart Association.

UH swimmers continue to make big waves in Florida

The Hawaii men's and women's swimming teams were dominant in yesterday's Bob Mowerson Sprint Meet at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., held in conjunction with the College Coaches Swim Forum.

UH won every men's event while setting four meet records - Luis Rojas with a time of 2 minutes, 10.31 seconds in the 200-meter individual medley; Ramie Darling, with a time of 24.76 seconds in the 50-meter butterfly; Simon Thirsk, with a 26.53 clocking in the 50 backstroke, and Pedro Ferriero, with a time of 30.88 in the 50 breaststroke.

The Rainbow Wahine won three events. Lori Thomas won the 50-meter fly in 29.34 and Melanie Zauder the 50 breaststroke in 33.10, both meet records. UH teammate Sarah Watchorn captured the 50 freestyle in 27.03.

Men's tennis team No. 1 on UH scholar-athlete list

The men's tennis team topped the University of Hawaii's list of scholar-athletes announced yesterday.

The 12-member tennis team led the way with a 3.46 grade-point average for the fall semester and a cumulative 3.36 GPA overall.

The women's golf team was next in the fall with a 3.18 GPA. There was a tie for third at 3.08 between the women's cross country and women's water polo teams.

UH has a total of 375 student-athletes participating in 18 programs during the 1999-2000 academic year. Of that number, 192 maintained at least a 3.00 GPA or higher during the fall semester and 22 had perfect 4.0 averages.

Maui Marathon field filled

All 2,500 slots in the March 19 Maui Marathon have been filled and entry applications no longer will be accepted, race organizers announced Monday.