Hawaii Beat
California's Joel Tudor successfully defended his title at Haleiwa Beach yesterday, winning the Bear Hawaiian Pro Longboard Invitational. Tudor defends title
Tudor, the 1998 world longboarding champion, wrested the top spot from Hawaii's Bonga Perkins, Kanoa Dahlin and Duane DeSoto, winning $5,000 and an original framed artwork trophy for his performance.
Second placed Perkins opted for the biggest waves, and lost a heat after his surfboard hit him in the head and knocked him out for at least five minutes.
Bonga never really recovered his composure and was unable to repeat the radical performance of his first two rides of the final.
"I paid the ultimate price for the ultimate maneuver," Bonga said, with an ice-pack to his head. "It rang my bell, that's for sure. I was still gasping for breath two waves later and it took me a while to recover. But if I'd pulled off that move, it would have been a different story."
The G-Shock Hawaiian Pro men's and women's divisions are expected to get underway this morning, pending the swell.
The G-Shock Hawaiian Pro is the first event of the men's 1999 Vans G-Shock Triple Crown of Surfing and the second event for the women.
Australian Trudy Todd won the first event of the series and currently leads the Triple Crown ratings.
HPU earns top seed in volleyball regional
A day after upsetting top-ranked Brigham Young-Hawaii for the conference title, Hawaii Pacific was named the top seed in the NCAA Division II Pacific Regional this week at BYUH's Cannon Activities Center.The defending national champion Sea Warriors (25-2) are joined by the second-seeded Seasiders (24-2), Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Bakersfield. In Friday's semifinals, HPU will face CSU Bakersfield while BYUH takes on CSU Los Angeles.
The semifinal winners meet at 7:30 p.m. Saturday for the berth into the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament next month.
Last Saturday night in Seattle, Flavia Gabinio had a career-high 21 kills to lead the second-ranked Sea Warriors over the No. 1 Seasiders, 15-9, 6-15, 15-7, 14-16, 155-9 for the Pacific West championship.
It was the 14th-straight victory for HPU since losing its only two matches of the season, both to BYUH, in late September. The Seasiders had not lost since dropping a 3-0 decision to the Sea Warriors on Sept. 4.
Wahine can clinch with win today at UTEP
The third-ranked University of Hawaii women's volleyball team can clinch its second consecutive Western Athletic Conference title with a win at Texas-El Paso today.The Wahine (22-1 overall, 11-0 WAC) were to face the Miners (3-10, 5-21) at 4 p.m. HST. On Saturday, Hawaii used 17 kills by Lily Kahumoku in sweeping host Texas Christian, 15-9, 15-4, 15-6, in 86 minutes.
UTEP lost its eighth in a row Saturday at SMU, 12-15, 15-4, 15-6, 16-14.
State football playoffs starting this Friday
The inaugural state high school football playoffs open Friday with four games on three islands.The quarterfinal pairings of the Chevron State Football Championships will play in a doubleheader at Aloha Stadium. Konawaena (10-0) faces Kahuku (10-1) at 5 p.m., followed by St. Louis (10-1) taking on Waianae (8-3) at 8 p.m.
At Vidinha Stadium on Kauai, Waimea (5-0-1) hosts Kailua (8-3) at 7:30 p.m. Farrington (6-4-1) travels to Maui to take on Baldwin (10-0) in a 7:30 p.m. game at War Memorial Stadium.
The semifinals games are set for the following Friday at Aloha Stadium at 6 and 8 p.m. The St. Louis/Waianae winner will face the Waimea/Kailua winner in one semifinal while the Kahuku/Konawaena winner will take on the Baldwin/Farrington winner in the other.
The Dec. 4 championship game will be played at Aloha Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
Kamehameha top seed in girls' state volleyball
Kamehameha, ranked No. 1 nationally, is the top seed in the Nissan Girls State Volleyball Championship tournament that opens this Thursday in Hilo.The Warriors (15-0) are seeking a third consecutive state title. Farrington (12-0) is seeded second, followed by Hilo (12-0) and Lanai (17-2).
Pool play begins at 1 p.m. at Waiakea High and Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. The quarterfinals are Friday and the semifinals and final Saturday, all at Afook-Chinen.
The pool assignments are: A-Kamehameha, Kohala (12-3), Aiea (10-3); B-Farrington, King Kekaulike (16-3) and Waiakea (14-2); C-Hilo, Punahou (13-2) and Roosevelt (9-3); D: Lanai, Waimea (7-2) and Pearl City (11-2).
Honors for Cummins
Kelly Cummins, a 1998 Moanalua High School grad attending Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., was named to the Women's Collegiate Water Polo All-Academic Team by United States Water Polo, Inc.Cummins, named Iona's Rookie of the Year, scored the winning goal for the Gaels in the title match of the N.Y. Division Championship Tournament.
Castle hosts preseason soccer tourney
The 18th annual Castle-Leilehua preseason soccer tournament for girls will be held Thursday through Saturday at both Castle and Leilehua school fields.First-round play on Thursday will have Castle playing Aiea at 5 p.m. and Maui vs.Iolani, at 7, at Castle. At Leilehua, it will be Leilehua vs. Kalaheo at 5 p.m. and Punahou vs. Pearl City at 7.
On Friday, semifinal games will be played at 5 p.m. and 7 at both sites. On Saturday, all games will be at Castle: seventh place at 11 a.m., consolation championship at 1 p.m., third place at 3 p.m. and the championship match at 5 p.m.
Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for students.
Friis and Jorris win
Christian Friis finished first in the Val Nolasco Memorial Half Marathon yesterday at Kapiolani Park.Friis, who attends Hawaii Pacific, finished the 13.1-mile course in 1 hour and 9 seconds.
Heather Jorris was the top female runner, finishing in 1:24.
Sinclair wins Kapalua
Joey Sinclair fired a final round of 70 to win the Lincoln Mercury Kapalua Challenge and the first prize of $75,000 yesterday at The Plantation Course.Sindelar's three-day total of 12-under-par was 3 better than Brandel Chamblee.
Jonathan Lyau finished second in 1:13 and Jason Noriega third in 1:13.
Monique Mata was the second female finisher in 1:26:18 and Lisa Blomme, who also attends HPU, was the third female across the finish line.