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Mason second, Vulcans qualify for nationals

Hawaii-Hilo played through windy conditions to place third at yesterday's Division II Men's West Regional at Dakota Dunes, S.D., earning a team spot at the NCAA Division II national championship.

"Everybody hung in there and we made mistakes," UHH golf coach Earl Tamiya said. "But we did enough to hang in there."

The Vulcans, third behind Western Washington and Chico State at the regional, are one of 20 teams to advance to the Division II nationals May 17-20 at The Club at Savannah Harbor in Savannah, Ga.

Hawaii-Hilo's Nick Mason shot 78-66-71--215, 1 under, for second place as an individual. Fellow Vulcan Garrett Okamura shot 79-76-76--231 for 14th place, and teammates Troy Higashiyama and Colin Gilliam tied for 26th. Kevin Shimomura made it five Vulcans in the top 30, tying for 28th.

Mason made the national tournament individually for two years in a row. This year, he'll have company.

"It feels good to have all five guys going," he said.

» At Choudrant, La., Hawaii's Jarett Hamamoto finished tied for fourth in the Western Athletic Conference golf championships yesterday.

Hamamoto shot a 1-over 73 yesterday for a three-round total of 5-over 221.

Hawaii finished in seventh place out of 10 teams.

SMU claimed the team title when Tulsa forfeited a playoff due to travel time concerns. Both teams finished at 25-over 889.

SMU's Will Dodson earned medalist honors. He shot 1-under 71 yesterday to finish the tournament at 2-under 214.

Two UH seniors finished their careers yesterday -- Kellen Floyd Asao, who tied for 36th at 236, and Ben Douglas, who tied for 43rd at 242.

Gauthier, Young break UH track records

Kelly Young set a new University of Hawaii track and field record in the 800-meter run, finishing in 2:06.53 at the All-Comers 8 meet at Cooke Field on Tuesday night.

Patricia Gauthier also broke a new school record by pole vaulting 12 feet, 6 inches.

Both Young and Gauthier also set new Cooke Field records, as did Novelle Murray, who threw 180 feet in the hammer throw.

Van Belkum, Novick net water polo honors

Hawaii's Iefke Van Belkum earned three Mountain Pacific Sports Federation water polo honors yesterday.

League coaches chose Van Belkum to the MPSF All-Tournament team for her performance last weekend. The league also picked Van Belkum to the All-MPSF second team and to the MPSF All-Freshman team.

Rainbow Wahine teammate Beth Novick made the seven-person All-MPSF first team.

League coaches also named Hawaii's Monika Kruszona as an honorable mention and to the MPSF All-Freshman team.

The Rainbow Wahine (20-9) kept their No. 4 ranking in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 20 poll yesterday after finishing fourth in the league tournament. They open the NCAA Championships against No. 7 Loyala Marymount in Ann Arbor, Mich., on May 13 at 1:30 p.m. Hawaii time.

Kids in control at UH baseball

The University of Hawaii is running a "Kids in Control" promotion for the baseball team's May 12-13 games against Fresno State at Les Murakami Stadium.

Children in kindergarten through eighth grade can register for a chance to participate in game-related responsibilities: contest coordinator, H-Crew member, KKEA radio broadcaster, K5 TV announcer, music and sound effects coordinator, promotions director and public address announcer.

Parents can register their children at HawaiiAthletics.com or at the stadium during upcoming games.

The Rainbows are celebrating Senior Day at the May 14 game and the first 1,500 fans to enter the stadium will receive a team photograph.

Moanalua seeks coaches in various sports

Moanalua High School is looking for a head coach for varsity boys/girls swimming, a head coach for cheerleading and a head coach for junior varsity boys basketball.

Resumes can be faxed to athletic director Joel Kawachi at 831-7920.