UH-Navy football game moved

Next season's football game between Hawaii and Navy has been moved to Nov. 28.

The game was previously set for Nov. 21, but Navy requested the game at Aloha Stadium be rescheduled a week later.

“;They wanted to move the game, and we were able to accommodate them,”; UH associate athletic director Carl Clapp said.

The Western Athletic Conference schedule has yet to be completed and the Warriors had an open date on Nov. 28. UH will play its eight-game WAC schedule over a nine-week stretch between Sept. 26 and Nov. 21.

The UH-Navy matchup will feature the return of former UH quarterback and assistant coach Ken Niumatalolo. The Radford graduate led the Midshipmen to an 8-5 record and a berth in the EagleBank Bowl his first season as head coach. Ivin Jasper, another former UH quarterback, is Navy's offensive coordinator.

This is the second time the game has been moved. The teams were originally scheduled to meet to open the season, but Navy asked to move the game to later in the season.

The latest move gives the Midshipmen bye weeks on either side of their cross-country trip from Annapolis, Md., to Honolulu. Navy has a home game against Delaware on Nov. 14, and closes against Army on Dec. 12 in Philadelphia.

UH's nonconference schedule includes the Sept. 4 season opener against Central Arkansas followed by back-to-back road games against Washington State (Sept. 12 in Seattle) and UNLV (Sept. 19). The Warriors close the season with Navy and Wisconsin (Dec. 5).

Massenburg wins Gatorade award

Bailey Massenburg of King Kekaulike High School was named the 2008-2009 Gatorade Hawaii girls cross country runner of the year on Thursday.

The 5-foot-8 senior won the girls individual title in the Honolulu Marathon/HHSAA cross country state championships in October with a time of 20:42.90, outpacing her nearest competitor by 45 seconds.

Massenburg also won the Maui Interscholastic League girls' individual championship in 19:13.

She carries a 4.07 GPA, is an accomplished pianist and budding composer, and volunteered for three weeks last summer on a service-mission trip to Nicaragua.

The Gatorade award, presented in partnership with ESPN RISE magazine, recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the race course.

Massenburg is now a finalist for the Gatorade national girls cross country runner of the year award, which will be announced in January.

Gayagas honored for service

Former University of Hawaii men's basketball and track athlete Ed Gayagas will be presented with the 2008 Kane Fernandez Community Service Award at the UH men's basketball game against San Jose State at the Stan Sheriff Center tonight.

Gayagas, who lettered at UH from 1957-1960, is president of the UH-ROTC Alumni Association, a past executive director of Na Koa Football Club, and serves on the board of directors of the UH Letterwinners Club. He also assists the UH Alumni Association with various events.

Gayagas, a retired U.S. Army colonel, is the eighth recipient of the award, presented annually to a past UH letterwinner who has volunteered his or her support unselfishly to advance their community.

The award is named for the late Kane Fernandez, former chairman and chief executive officer of Fernandez Entertainment. Fernandez, who died in January 2001, was one of the original members of the Letterwinners Club.

Rainbow Wahine No. 4 in poll

The University of Hawaii women's water polo team was picked fourth in both the national and conference preseason polls.

The Rainbow Wahine received 84 votes in the Collegiate Water Polo Association poll and 31 votes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation coaches poll.

USC topped both polls, followed by Stanford, defending national champion UCLA, UH, California and San Diego State.

UH, which finished 20-10 overall and placed fourth in the MPSF tournament last year, ended the season ranked fourth nationally despite not qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

Key returnees for the Wahine include Kelly Mason, last year's second-leading scorer with 58 goals, Leonie Van Der Molen (47), Liisa Van Raalte (46) and goalie Serena Bredin (146 saves).

Hawaii kicks off the 2009 season with a match against its alumnae at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex on Jan. 24.

French drafted by women's pro league

Mele French, a 2002 Mililani High graduate and member of the Honolulu Bulls Soccer Club, was picked 60th in the inaugural Women's Professional Soccer draft yesterday.

French was picked in the ninth round of the WPS draft by Sky Blue FC, the league's New Jersey/New York franchise.

Lalas featured at soccer clinic

Alexi Lalas, a former professional soccer player and member of the U.S. national team, is scheduled to appear at a soccer clinic set for Jan. 24 at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.

The free clinic is open to youths ages 5 to 17. Registration will be held today from 1-4 p.m. at the Verizon Wireless store at Pearl Highlands and tomorrow at the Verizon store in Moanalua.

Participants receive a free soccer jersey, water bottle and sports pack. The first 100 to sign up also receive a soccer ball.

PACWEST PLACE

Wily leads Seasiders past 'Swords

Latoya Wily scored 32 points and grabbed 22 rebounds to lead the Brigham Young-Hawaii women's basketball team to a 62-52 win over Chaminade on Thursday.

BYUH (5-7, 1-2 PacWest) faces Notre Dame de Namur today at 5:30 p.m. in Laie.