DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii basketball players showed off the Western Athletic Conference
championship rings they received at a booster club meeting at the Stan
Sheriff Center last night. The players are, from left to right, Mindaugas
Burneika, Nerijus Puida, Ryne Holliday, Predrag Savovic and Carl
English. UH opens the 2001-02 season at the
traditional Midnight Ohana on Oct. 12.

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UH runners split
for 2 meets

The Hawaii cross-country team will try to win in two different states tomorrow.

Cheryl Smith and Casey McGuire-Turcotte lead a group of seven Wahine competing in the Stanford Invitational. Four other Wahine will compete at the Hawaii Pacific 6K Invitational in Kaneohe.

Smith has placed first in two of the three invitationals UH has run in this season. Courtney Barlow, Teryn Bentley, Diane Kohara, Jennifer Crumley and Brittany Keith will travel to California with Smith and McGuire-Turcotte.

Brigham Young-Hawaii, Chaminade and Hawaii-Hilo join host HPU and the Hawaii contingent in Kaneohe.

UH is coming off a victory at the Hawaii Invitational last weekend. The Wahine will be at the Willamette Invitational in Salem, Ore., next Saturday.

Tennis teams qualify for Adult Nationals

Local men's and women's tennis teams will join other recreational league teams from across the country in the USA League Tennis Adult National Championships at Tucson, Ariz., Oct. 4-7.

A men's team from the Honolulu area and a women's club from the Ala Moana Tennis Courts will play at the 4.0 level in Tucson.

"Hawaii 5/0," a men's team from Kailua/Kaneohe, will try to win a national title at the 3.5 level in Palm Springs, Calif.

All of the Hawaii players are representing the USTA Hawaii Pacific Section.

For more information about the USTA, visit www.usta.com.

Kahakui paddles to build strong ocean awareness

Long distance paddler Donna Kahakui will attempt her longest solo paddle on Oct. 14 in Tahiti to build relationships between Hawaiians and Tahitians. The 200-mile paddle is part of a yearlong mentorship project called I Ola Na Kai -- So the Oceans May Live. Kahakui hopes to raise awareness for the need to care for marine life and the ocean environment. Kahakui is also dedicating the paddle to the victims of the Sept. 11th tragedy.

ELAM offers art contest for physical therapy

ELAM Sports Oahu is sponsoring an art challenge for high schools on Oahu's west side. In honor of "National Physical Therapy Month," students are asked to create art that will be displayed in ELAM's clinic in Kapolei. The theme of the contest is Physical Therapy and Sports on Oahu.

For more information, contact Chandra Elam at 674-9595.

Season's final polo match in Waimanalo Sunday

The final polo match of the season is set for Sunday at Waimanalo Field. The Oahu team will meet Hanalei Bay of Kauai. Fred Dailey, Hawaii's "Mr. Polo," will also be honored.

The game will begin at 2:30 p.m. Gates open at 1 p.m. General admission is $3. Children under 12 get in free. For more information, call 396-0494.