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Mason misses national title by 1 stroke

Hilo golfer Nick Mason shot a 70 in the final round of the NCAA Division II men's championship yesterday, but fell a shot short of first place.

Dane Burkhart of South Carolina-Aiken won the tournament in Savannah, Ga., with a 279 over four rounds.

Hilo finished fifth in the team scoring, with all of its other golfers going over par.

Yukamoto takes over HPU baseball

Former Hawaii Pacific standout Garett Yukumoto has been hired as the program's baseball coach.

Yukumoto replaces Allan Sato, who resigned from the post in April. Yukumoto has been an assistant coach for the Hawaii Island Movers in the past seasons and led Leilehua, where he is a vice-principal, to two OIA West titles.

» Punahou senior Kasey Ko was named the 2005 Hawaii Boys Baseball Player of the Year by Gatorade yesterday.

Ko, a 6-2, 210-pound first baseman for the Buffanblu, batted .415 with an on-base percentage of .561 and 15 RBIs this season.

Ko is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Boys Baseball Player of the Year. The winner will be announced in late May.

BYUH's Porter gets another award

Brigham Young University-Hawaii women's tennis coach Dave Porter was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's NCAA II National Women's Coach of the Year yesterday.

Porter, who guided the Seasiders to a 29-1 record, led BYUH to a second-place finish in the NCAA II National tournament this season.