Nina Christensen will not be the only Sea Warrior wrapping up her collegiate career at the NCAA Div. II national championship cross country meet at Ashland, Ohio, Nov. 23. HPU’s Schwinn
calling it quits
after nationalsBy Jerry Campany
jcampany@starbulletin.comHawaii Pacific coach Vien Schwinn will retire after taking Christensen and Sayuri Kusutani to the meet, closing the door on a three-year stint as head coach after helping the school to an NAIA district championship in 1991 as a runner and winning all-district honors twice. She said she will step away to spend more time with her children, 9-year-old Mikela and 6-year-old Kiele.
"Its really a hard thing for me," Schwinn said. "I've got to give up another job to be a mom to my kids, but I feel like I am losing a child by retiring."
Schwinn, 38, became the head coach when she quit her job as the manager of a health and fitness center at First Hawaiian Bank to have her first child.
Schwinn has taken at least one runner to the national championships in each of her three years.
"I think Vien did a marvelous job," HPU athletic director Russell Dung said. "She has definitely raised the level of the program by getting some quality runners and leaving some quality runners behind. It is a good start for whoever takes over."
Schwinn says a major reason for her stepping down is that assistant coach Raul Boca Torres is ready to take over the program. Torres is the director for Boca Hawaii, a training center for triathletes. He has finished the Hawaii Ironman triathlon 10 times and won it in 1996.
Although HPU has not offered the job to anyone -- Schwinn submitted her resignation to Dung months ago, but it will not be officially accepted until the end of the season -- Torres was a candidate when Schwinn took over and is a graduate of the school.
"It is only because (Torres) and I worked so well together," Schwinn said. "I can let it go now because he is a good guy and will take good care of the program."
Sea Warriors' last chance:Once again, the PacWest volleyball season comes down to a showdown between Hawaii Pacific and Brigham Young-Hawaii.
But this one is a little different.
The Seasiders have already clinched a berth in the NCAA Div. II regional but are fighting for the right to host. The Sea Warriors are in the unfamiliar position of fighting for their playoff lives.
Hawaii Pacific has competed in the regional every year since 1998, when it won the national championship. Now, the Sea Warriors are ranked eighth in the region, with only one game against the No. 3 Seasiders left to play tomorrow.
The top six teams in the region get invitations. The rankings will be released Sunday. Standing between HPU and a chance to return are No. 7 Cal State Chico and Chaminade. The Silverswords are perched in the No. 6 spot and have completed their regular-season schedule.
Hilo gets forward: Terrance Troupe, a 6-foot-6 power forward from Pierce College (Wash.) has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball for the Vulcans next season.
He averaged nine points and nine rebounds as a freshman last year for former Hilo coach and current Pierce head coach Jeff Estis.