A trio of three-time state champions headline a group of Hawaii wrestlers heading to Michigan to compete in the fifth annual U.S. Girls Wrestling Association national championships. Hawaii wrestlers
to compete in nationalsBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comThe meet is March 23 and 24 in Lake Orion, Mich.
"It's a huge tournament and it's great exposure for us," Moanalua wrestling coach Joel Kawachi said.
McKinley's Melissa Orden and Moanalua's Caylene Valdez and Stephany Lee won their third state titles earlier this month. Orden won the 103-pound weight class, Valdez the 108 class and Lee the 155 title.
Orden was named the OIA East girls wrestler of the year after going 20-1 this season.
State champions in four other weight classes are also making the trip -- Kahuku's Justine Swafford (98 pounds), Kailua's Danyelle Hedin (121), Mid-Pacific's Jennifer Miyahira (130) and Moanalua's Shani Alvarado (140).
State runner-ups Kawai Chee (Kahuku, 103), Shanel Vivas (Kahuku, 108), Elizabeth Torres (Kahuku, 114), Eva Chan (McKinley, 121), Anna Tong (Kaiser, 140) and Anela Iseke (Kahuku, 155) are also on the Hawaii roster.
Tong is ranked first in her weight class by the USGWA.
Track championships moved: The state track and field championships have been moved from Kamehameha to Mililani High School.
The Island Movers State Track and Field Championships were originally scheduled to be held at Kamehameha's new on-campus stadium, but the facility will not be ready in time to host the state meet.
The meet will be held May 9 and 11.
Mililani last hosted the state championships in 2000. The meet was held on Maui last year.
ILH basketball, baseball opens: The Interscholastic League of Honolulu girls basketball season opens tomorrow with defending champion Punahou facing Sacred Hearts.
Tip-off for the game is 6 p.m. at the Lancers' gym. The weekend schedule continues with four games Friday night and three more Saturday.
St. Francis, winner of the last four ILH Division II championships, makes its Division I debut at 6 p.m. Friday against Kamehameha at Punahou.
The league's baseball schedule opens Saturday with four games, highlighted by a tripleheader at Ala Wai Field.
In games at Ala Wai, defending ILH champion Mid-Pacific faces Maryknoll at noon, Pac-Five plays St. Louis at 3 p.m. and Iolani takes on Punahou at 6 p.m. Kamehameha plays Damien at 1 p.m. at Joey Desa Field.
St. Louis has won two preseason tournaments in as many weeks. The Crusaders beat Mid-Pacific in extra innings to win the Dick Kitamura Tournament two weeks ago and edged Roosevelt 1-0 in the championship game of the Mililani Trojan Invitational on Sunday.
The Oahu Interscholastic Association girls basketball season opens March 19 and the baseball season begins March 27.
Lee advances to NCAA championships: Former St. Louis wrestler Travis Lee won the 125-pound division at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association championships last week in Bethlehem, Pa., to earn a spot in the NCAA Championships.
Lee, a freshman at Cornell, defeated Lehigh's Mario Stuart 5-2 in the EIWA finals. He helped the Big Red finish third in the team standings, behind Lehigh and Penn.
The NCAA Championships are March 21-23 at Pepsi Arena in Albany, N.Y.
Lee won three state championships in his four years at St. Louis.
Hawaii School Web Sites