PENSACOLA, Fla. >> Hawaii Pacific is back in the NCAA Division II men's national championship tennis match after a come-from-behind 5-4 semifinal victory over Drury College (Mo.) yesterday on the campus of the University of West Florida. HPU men, BYUH
women in tennis finalsStar-Bulletin staff
HPU (17-2) plays Rollins College (Fla.) today at 7 a.m. HST for the national title.
Rollins (20-3) defeated Brigham Young-Hawaii, 5-4, in the other semifinal.
The Sea Warriors trailed 4-1 but came back to win four straight singles matches for the victory.
Hawaii Pacific's Jan Tribler, playing at No. 2 singles, broke the 4-4 tie. He lost his first set against Mehdi Belbacha before rallying for the 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2 match-clincher.
The Sea Warriors made it to the title game a year ago, but lost to Lander University (S.C.), 5-2.
"Our guys know there's one more to go," said HPU head coach Henry Somerville. "Everybody is very focused on giving it our all tomorrow. We've been there, so we know what it's like to lose one, and that should make us hungrier.
"The way we won (yesterday) gives us that much more confidence and fight going into the final."
Wojtek Bratek, Mikael Maatta and Stefan Pampulov also won crucial singles matches to help rally the Sea Warriors to the win.
BYUH (30-2) meets Drury (21-5) in the third-place match today.
In women's competition, Kellie Taguchi led the No. 1 Brigham Young-Hawaii women's tennis team past sixth-seeded Barry University (Fla.), 5-0, to put the Seasiders into the final.
BYUH faces Boca Raton's Lynn University today for the championship.
Taguchi dominated Barry's Jamie Margolis 6-0, 6-1 to cap the team's win. BYUH's Petra Gaspar, Tagifano So'onalole and Tomoko Sukegawa all played but did not finish their matches. With BYU up by five, continuation was unnecessary.
NATIONAL DEFENSE
UH softball team loses shot at WAC title
The University of Hawaii softball team's hopes of winning the Western Athletic Conference championship were washed away yesterday as Fresno State's series at Tulsa was rained out.The cancellation gives Fresno State (13-3) the WAC title and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Wahine (16-4) will learn if they qualified for the tournament when the field is announced today.
Fernandez named to all-region softball squad
Hawaii Pacific's Samee Fernandez has been named to the NCAA Division II All-West Region second team in softball.Fernandez, a senior second baseman for the Sea Warriors, is a four-year starter and team co-captain. The Kaneohe native led the Pacific West Conference Pacific Division in walks and sacrifice bunts and carried a .996 fielding percentage.
QB club to pay tribute to UH president
The Honolulu Quarterback Club will give University of Hawaii president Kenneth Mortimer a special farewell tribute at its 11:30 a.m. luncheon meeting tomorrow at the Pagoda Restaurant.Also scheduled to appear are UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida and UH football coach June Jones.
Irwin in match-play semis:
At Augusta, Mo., Hale Irwin beat Lanny Wadkins and Gil Morgan to advance to the semifinals of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Match Play Championship.The three-time U.S. Open champion will face Leonard Thompson today. Bob Gilder and Argentina's Vincente Fernandez meet in the other semifinal.
Wilson builds on lead:
At Maebara, Japan, Castle alumnus Dean Wilson shot an even-par 71 yesterday to give himself a comfortable eight-stroke lead over Satoshi Higashi after the third round of the Japan PGA Championship.Wilson, seeking his first win of the season and second of his career in Japan, carded three birdies and three bogeys in sunny weather to bring his total to 6-under 207 at the 7,002-yard, par-71 Queen's Hill Golf Club.
Japanese veteran Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki ballooned to a 79, giving him a 224 total.
Kokx to defend Jennie K. title
Defending champion Bobbi Kokx tops the field for the Jennie K. Wilson Women's Invitational Golf Tournament at the Mid-Pacific Country Club May 18-20.Rachel Kyono, the HSWGA 2000 Stroke Play champion and last year's runner-up to Kokx, is also entered.
Joining Kokx and Kyono in the elite women's field are, among others, Mona Kim-Lee, Mei Lin Poai, Bev Kim, Caryn Morita, Jenna Seki and Desiree Ting.
Newcomers Michelle Wie and Stephanie Kono, both 11, will play in their first Jennie K. tournament.
The 54-hole tournament begins at approximately 7:30 a.m. for championship flight players.
For more information, call Mid-Pacific C.C., 261-9765.
[WE GET LETTERS]
Thanks, Pal!
Thank you to Pal Eldredge ("Pen Pal," May 7) for your thoughts on "Things baseball could do without." I hope that his words penetrate some thick skulls out there. Unfortunately, these problems will probably continue to exist and drive other coaches, like myself, out of the dugout and onto the links.Corey Okamura
Honolulu
Sailors in same boat
Regarding the "Prep surfers want equal footing" article (May 8), prep sailors are in the same boat, forgive the pun.High school sailors do not receive school sports credit or extra study halls or whatever particular arrangement each school has for students pursuing the sport of their choice.We are beginning to feel like Rodney Dangerfield here.
We are the only state completely surrounded by water, so our schools should be more aggressive in endorsing the avenues of healthy outdoor activity for our kids that are so natural to our islands.
Shame on us that we are using liability as an issue to stall when mainland states have surfing and sailing teams. They have managed to sort out the liability issues.
We don't need to wait to see how canoe paddling turns out before surfing and sailing come on line. Kids from Punahou and Kalaheo just traveled to San Diego to compete in a Pacific Coast High School Sailing Regatta, but were not recognized by their schools.What a shame for the kids who worked so hard.
Our great local kids deserve to have sports perfectly suited to Hawaii sanctioned by their schools. Thanks to all who are working towards it.
Beth Andrewes
Kailua
Tennis, everyone
On behalf of the USTA/Hawaii Pacific Section, mahalo for the great tennis coverage over the last couple of weeks. Our mission "to promote and develop the growth of tennis in Hawaii" sure gets a great boost from articles such as these.Brent Mukai
USTA/HPS executive director
Honolulu
[WINNERS & LOSERS]
[WINNERS]
Randy Johnson: The Big Unit became the first left-hander in major-league history to strike out 20 batters in nine innings. Johnson joined Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood as the only pitchers to turn the trick, but missed out on the record book because the game went 11 innings.Ashley Takata: The Kalani guard averaged more than 30 points in her three games last week, torching Farrington for 38 and Kailua for 32 before being "held" to 27 by Kaimuki.
Monarchos: The gray horse has a chance to win the Triple Crown after capturing the Kentucky Derby in the second-fastest time ever. The second Triple Crown race -- the Preakness --is Saturday.
[LOSERS]
Vince McMahon and the XFL: The league promised to take football fans to places the NFL never could, but McMahon's baby only lasted one season.OIA track and field officials: After apparently breaking the state long jump record at the OIA East championships last Saturday, Natasha Kai learned that meet officials measured the distance from the wrong spot, adding a full foot to her -- and every other jumpers' -- effort.
Elias Sports Bureau: The official record keeper for Major League Baseball denied Randy Johnson a spot in the record book because his nine-inning, 20-strikeout performance against the Reds went two more innings after Johnson left the game.