Hawaii Grown: College Athletics
Al Chase
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Aki, Ah Mow among national JC leaders
Lesliann Aki and Keila Ah Mow placed in the final national junior college volleyball statistics this past fall.
Aki (Kamehameha), a freshman setter for the College of Southern Idaho, finished 14th with 1,202 assists (11.23 a game). She had 36 aces and 196 digs in 107 games for the Golden Eagles.
Ah Mow (Sacred Hearts) was 48th in service aces with 63 (0.64 a game) in 98 games for the Clarendon College (Texas) Bulldogs. An All-Western JC Athletic Conference honorable mention selection, the outside hitter also led the team in kills.
Lucy Kauvaka (Kahuku), Tauina Fetui (Farrington) and Julie Kalama (Castle) also played for Clarendon.
Also playing for Southern Idaho were Chanelle Esteban (Kaiser) and Kawena Cubi-Otineru (St. Francis).
Esteban, a freshman libero, led CSI in digs with 415 and had 23 aces. Cubi-Otinero, a freshman outside hitter, put down 139 kills and had 172 digs and 20 aces.
Torres, Lee start season ranked No. 1
Kapua Torres (Kahuku '03) is ranked No. 1 among 51-kilogram (112.25 pounds) wrestlers in the first North American Women's College Wrestling Poll of the season, released by USA Wrestling's Web site, TheMat.com.
Torres, a junior at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., earned the ranking despite redshirting last year due to pinched nerves.
Another Hawaii wrestler also is tops in her class.
Stephany Lee (Moanalua '02), a senior at Missouri Valley College, is ranked No. 1 in the 73-kilogram (158 pounds) class.
In another note from Pacific, senior Aaron Fernandez (Kamehameha '03), a 20-match winner in 2005 at 125 pounds, has joined the Boxers staff as an assistant coach. His college career ended due to nerve problems resulting from stingers.
According to Pacific coach Scott Miller, Fernandez will work with the men at 125 and 133 pounds and the women's lower weight classes. He also will play a role in Pacific's efforts to recruit more Hawaii wrestlers.
Burciaga to battle for starting job
Ryan Burciaga (Radford '06), who redshirted this year, is projected to be the starting quarterback for the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils next fall, according to an e-mail from Doris Sullivan, director of Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance, an organization that helps athletes through the recruiting process.
Freshmen Zack Gilarsky (King Kekaulike '06) handled all MVS kicking duties this past fall, Eserom Pascual (Saint Louis '06) saw action on the offensive line and Jamie Whitworth (Radford '06) assisted on one tackle in his only appearance.
Three other freshmen -- kicker Drew Ueno (Kamehameha '06) and defensive backs Kevin Aguigui (Campbell '06) and Gabe Montero (Mililani '06) -- redshirted this year.
Montero also is on the track team.
Lee first to score 1,000 points
Kepua Lee is the first Menlo College women's basketball player to score 1,000 career points. The junior reached that milestone on Dec. 29 with a 28-point performance in a 47-31 win over Willamette in the first round of the Peninsula Hoops Classic. The MVP of the Classic and 2004 Moanalua graduate accomplished the feat in just 64 games.
Lee, a 5-foot-9 guard, is the No. 5 scorer in the NAIA, averaging 21.2 points and 9.0 rebounds for the 16th-ranked Oaks. The three-year starter holds the career record for most points (1,100), most field goals made (445) and most field goals attempted (1,047). Lee is only 78 rebounds away from breaking the school career record of 530.