Payne's aerial worth $50,000

Maui's Dusty Payne took the top prize in the world's richest single maneuver surfing competition: the Kustom Airstrike.

Payne earned $50,000 for an impressive frontside full rotation air 360 executed in Bali last December. The aim of the eight-month global search was to find the best aerial surfing maneuver.

Payne edged out entries from Hawaii's Clay Marzo and Australians Mitchell Coleborn, Jay Davies and Ry Craike.

Surfers Joel Parkinson and Kolohe Andino were on the judges' panel along with members of the surf media from around the world.

On the Web: kustomairstrike.com.

Lajola's win not enough for UH

Hawaii sophomore Dennis Lajola upset No. 4 Robert Farah of USC yesterday in the Warriors' 4-3 loss in Los Angeles.

Lajola, ranked 89th nationally, won the No. 1 singles match with Farah—the reigning Pac-10 player of the week—4-6, 6-4 (10-4).

The seventh-ranked Trojans (19-4) earned the doubles point by winning all three doubles matches. The teams split the six singles matches, with Hawaii (5-8) also winning at No. 3 (Andreas Weber) and No. 4 (Sascha Heinemann.

Another wrestling title for Chun

Hawaii's Clarissa Chun, last year's world champion in the 105.5-pound class of women's freestyle wrestling, added another title last week in Las Vegas by winning the weight division at the U.S. national tournament.

Chun (Roosevelt '99) was named the outstanding female wrestler. The 27-year-old earned the title with a 3-0, 1-0 victory over Sara Fulp-Allen, silver medalist at last year's World University Games.

The victory gives Chun the top seed at her weight in the U.S. World Team Trials, May 30-31, at Council Bluffs, Iowa. She didn't surrender a point in winning all four of her tournament matches.

PACWEST PLACE

Vulcans split baseball doubleheader

Shane Kessel singled to right with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Hawaii-Hilo a 3-2 victory over Dixie State in the second game of a PacWest baseball doubleheader at Wong Stadium yesterday.

The Red Storm (23-17, 10-8 PWC) pounded out 15 hits to take the opener 11-1. The Vulcans' lone run came on a sacrifice fly by Gary Jones to tie it at 1-1 in the bottom of the first.

In the second game, Dixie State scored twice in the top of the fourth, only to have UH-Hilo (18-16, 9-11) tie it in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out, two-run double by Ronel Trias.

PREP BEAT

Kamehameha vs. Mid-Pacific

The Warriors and the Owls hook up in a baseball game tomorrow at Mid-Pacific's field.

Both teams are looking forward to the ILH playoffs beginning Friday, but the Owls will want to use this contest to avenge the 10-0 loss the Warriors hung on them the last time they met.

ILH to use OIA officials

After decades together, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu and the Hawaii Football Officials Association have parted ways.

Jim Beavers, head of Oahu Interscholastic Association football officials, confirmed yesterday that there has been a change.

“;We were invited to meet with (the ILH) by OIA executive director Dwight Toyama,”; said Beavers.

ILH executive director Don Botelho and Beavers came to an agreement for the OIA officials to do the ILH games after nearly three weeks of discussions, Beavers said. He didn't speculate about why the ILH and the HFOA split.

Tweeting

What's good for Charlie Villanueva and Shaquille O'Neal is even better for one local team.

Unlike NBA stars who post tweets online at halftime of their games, devoted Big Island volleyball fans can get some immediate news thanks to Waiakea boys volleyball team assistant coach Chris Leonard.

Waiakea fans can get updated by going to twitter.com/pilipaa. Leonard tweets scores between games from Waiakea matches.