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Uchima receives WAC's Bates Award

Hawaii softball standout Tracie Uchima was named one of two recipients of the Stan Bates Award yesterday from the Western Athletic Conference.

It marked the fourth time a UH athlete was selected for the award which goes to the top female and male athletes in the league and is named for a former commissioner. This year's male winner was Rice runner James Adam Davis.

Uchima, a two-time All-WAC first team outfielder and four-year starter, hit for a career-high .327 average (10th in the WAC) while leading the Rainbow Wahine with 31 runs scored and 16 multiple-hit games. She also committed only one error over 49 games.

Uchima graduated this past spring with a 3.81 GPA in animal science and will be attending Michigan State's veterinary school this fall. This past season, she was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII first team as well as the 2005 Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholar-Athlete Softball First Team.

The award carries a $2,000 postgraduate scholarship. Previous UH winners were Blane Gaison (football, 1981), Jason Elam (football, 1993) and Angelica Ljungquist (volleyball, 1997).

» The WAC also announced its Joe Kearney Award winners, given to the top male and female athletes in the league. Selected were Boise State's javelinist Gabriel Wallin and Fresno State softball player Jamie Southern.

Hawaii athletes nominated were Chad Owens (football) and QiongJie Huang (diving). Wahine volleyball player Kim Willoughby is the only UH athlete ever to win the award, receiving it the previous two school years.

3 Wahine to represent Canada in track

Three members of the Hawaii women's track and field team have qualified for next month's Canada Games in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Canadian nationals Patricia Gauthier (pole vault), Dana Buchanan (steeplechase) and Meghan Weaver (shot put) were named based on performances at last week's trials in Ottawa.

Buchanan and Gauthier, both incoming juniors, set UH records en route to personal bests at the trials. Buchanan won the 2,000-meter steeplechase in a personal best 7 minutes, 1.25 seconds, and Gauthier placed second in the pole vault with a mark of 12 feet, 6.25 inches.

Weaver, an incoming sophomore, won the under-23 shot put with a throw of 47-1.25. She also finished third in the hammer (149-10.75) and fourth in the discus (133-6).

Next week, Weaver, incoming junior Kelly Young and incoming senior Novelle Murray will compete at the Canadian Senior National Championships in Winnipeg. Monroe and Weaver are hoping to qualify for the Canadian team that will participate in La Francophonie Games in Niger later this year, while Murray is looking to qualify for a spot on Canada's World University Games in Turkey next month.

Kimura leads OCC Men's Invitational by 2

Blaine Kimura carded a 3-under 68 to take a two-stroke lead into today's second round of the 42nd Oahu Country Club's Men's Invitational.

Kimura and Travis Toyama (70) were the only two players to break par in the gusty conditions at Oahu Country Club. Kellen-Floyd Asao and Mike Kawate shared third at 1-over 72.

The field of 66 will be trimmed to 30 after today's round. The final round starts at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow.

» Tadd Fujikawa struggled to a 4-over-par 76, but still holds a five-shot lead heading into today's final round of the 2005 Callaway Golf PGA Junior Series Event No. 7 at Turtle Bay Resort.

Luke Blum also shot 76 to remain five strokes back. Sean Ogawa, who entered yesterday's play in second place, shot 80 and is tied for third with Kellen Watabu.