Hawaii Beat
Star-Bulletin staff
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Tuioti-Mariner on Rimington list
Clarence "Lafu" Tuioti-Mariner of Hawaii is among 46 players on the Rimington Trophy Spring Watch List.
The Rimington Trophy is awarded each year to the best center in college football. West Virginia's Don Mozes won the 2006 Rimington Trophy.
Tuioti-Mariner is a 6-foot, 285-pound junior who entered UH spring practice as the leading candidate to replace Samson Satele as the Warriors' starting center. Larry Sauafea and Aaron Kia also received significant time with the first team in spring practice.
Saint Louis names track for Lau
Resourceful and upbeat, Johnson Lau has lived a significant portion of his life on the sidelines.
Yesterday, Saint Louis paid Lau honors that he never expected. Thanks to his donation of $150,000, the latest addition to the Kalaepohaku athletic facilities is Dr. Johnson Lau Track.
Athletic director Todd Los Banos pointed to Lau's service and self-sacrifice as a retired Army colonel and as a hands-on helper in Saint Louis athletics.
Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona, the Crusaders' assistant basketball coach, was still a player when Lau was well into his service to the program.
"He cared for us physically, spiritually and emotionally. Doc Lau is the epitome of what brotherhood is all about," Aiona said during a ceremony in McCabe Gym.
The school's student body gave Dr. Lau a standing ovation.
Wahine snubbed by NCAA water polo
The fourth-ranked Hawaii women's water polo team did not receive an at-large berth into next week's NCAA championship despite finishing ahead of one team from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation that did make the eight-team field.
The Rainbow Wahine (17-10, 9-3 MPSF) finished fourth at the NCAA championship the previous two years as an at-large selection.
Fifth-ranked San Diego State (28-8, 8-4), which lost to Hawaii 19-12 in last week's MPSF tournament and finished fifth in both the league and tournament, was awarded an at-large berth. The Rainbow Wahine placed fourth last week, losing only to No. 1 Stanford and No. 3 USC.
No. 2 UCLA was awarded the top seed in the NCAA tournament in Los Alamitos, Calif., after upsetting Stanford in the MPSF championship match. Stanford and USC also received at-large berths.
Warrior golfers in fourth at WAC
Led by Pierre-Henri Soero's 140, the Hawaii men's golf team was in fourth place going into today's final round of the Western Athletic Conference golf championship at Hidden Valley Country Club in Reno, Nev.
Soero was tied for sixth, seven strokes behind leader Grant Doverspike of Fresno State. Warrior Ryan Perez (141) was tied for 10 with Travis Toyama (142) tied for 12th.
Host Nevada had a 10-stroke lead in the nine-team field at 554. Following the Wolf Pack were Boise State (564), Fresno State (566) and Hawaii (567).
Surfers advance in France
Hawaii's Kai Sallas, Duane de Soto and Bonga Perkins all won their first-round heats yesterday to advance to the third round of the ASP World Tour Oxbow Pro World Longboard Championship at Cavaliers in Anglet, France.
The first round was halted midway through the competition due to deteriorating conditions, with Hawaii surfers Ned Snow, Noah Shimabukuro and Keegan Edwards yet to compete.
Sallas had the second-highest score of the round, winning his heat with a 16.15. Only Brazil's Marcelo Freitas' 16.50 later in the day was better.
Perkins scored a 13.35 and DeSoto a 12.00. Hawaii's last entrant in the third round, Kekoa Uemura, finished third in his heat (6.75) and will have to advance out of today's second round.
Failing to qualify for the main draw was Hawaii's Dino Miranda, who was eliminated in the trials.