Hawaii Beat
Star-Bulletin staff
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Kotani, Taylor, Grice win Wahine awards
Amy Kotani has gone from a walk-on who played one minute in her first two seasons to starting 12 of Hawaii's final 14 games last year -- and was awarded the 2006 Ah Chew Good Achievement Award last night at the Rainbow Wahine basketball banquet. It is the program's most prestigious award.
Kotani is a redshirt sophomore.
Junior guard Janevia Taylor was honored with the team's Offensive Player of the Year award after averaging 12.3 points per game and leading the Wahine in assists and 3-point shooting. Junior center Brittany Grice was named Defensive Player of the Year after leading her team in rebounding and the Western Athletic Conference in blocked shots.
Emily Helmly was the team's top Scholar Athlete with a 3.76 grade-point average.
Hawaii was 18-10 last season, its best record in four years. UH finished third in the WAC.
Hawaii women finally beaten in lengthy finale
It took two days, but the Brigham Young-Hawaii tennis team beat Hawaii in the Rainbow Wahine's regular-season finale yesterday with a 7-0 sweep.
The dual stretched over two days due to weather delays.
The Division II No. 2 Seasiders won every match in straight sets to run their record to 21-0.
In singles, Julia Ustyuzhanina beat Hawaii's Chloe Bihag 6-4, 6-4, Jing Jing Liu beat Kana Aikawa 6-0, 6-0, Ramona Husaru beat Jacqui Williams 6-0, 6-0, Tetyana Bula beat Samanta Capella 6-4, 6-2, Petra Teller beat Florence Wasko 6-1, 6-2 and Gurianna Korinihona beat Julia Sandborn 6-1, 6-1.
The Seasiders also swept all three doubles matches.
The Rainbow Wahine (3-17-1) now compete at the Western Athletic Conference championships April 21-24 at Boise State.
» Dennis Lajola of Aiea advanced with a win the second round yesterday at the Easter Bowl tournament at the Riviera Resort and Racquet Club.
The sixth seed in the Boys 18 division, Lajola beat Xavier Smith of Tulare, Calif., 6-2, 6-2.
The Easter Bowl is the United States Tennis Association's national spring championship.
Hawaii diving teams sign 2
Emma Friesen and Magnus Frick have signed letters of intent with the Hawaii diving team, coach Mike Brown announced yesterday.
Friesen's father is a former Canadian Olympic diver and his mother was a U.S. national champion and SMU Hall of Honor inductee. Friesen is already a junior Canada Games champion, and was second at the Canadian Senior Nationals on the 1-meter in 2004.
Frick is already enrolled at UH, and will be eligible after the fall semester. He is a native of Sweden and placed sixth last summer at the World Championships on the 1-meter springboard.
"He is the best male diver we have ever recruited, talent-wise," Brown said.
Rainbow Wahine set track bests at CSLA
Hawaii's Meghan Weaver beat her previous personal-best discus throw by five feet yesterday in posting an NCAA Regional qualifying mark at the Cal State Los Angeles Twilight Open.
Weaver's 156 feet, 4 inches heave won the event, and also placed second in the shot put with another NCAA Regional mark.
UH's Patricia Gauthier qualified for regionals in the pole vault while finishing first.
Hawaii's Emily Sheppard also won the high jump and Chantelle Laan and Sharlene Canllo both had personal bests in finishing 1-2 in the 800 meters.
UH-Hilo coach Perreira 1 win away from 500
Hawaii-Hilo softball coach Callen Perreira is a win away from his 500th career victory after last night's split with Hawaii Pacific.
HPU won the first game 8-2 but the Vulcans rebounded with a 4-3 win in the nightcap. Perreira is 499-288-2 in 17 seasons.
The Vulcans play tomorrow at home against Chaminade.
» UH-Hilo swept Brigham Young-Hawaii 12-3 in five innings and 9-3 in eight innings Tuesday in a PacWest doubleheader.
The Seasiders fell to 10-26, 0-8 on the year. BYUH completes its season Saturday in a noon doubleheader with HPU at Kaneohe.