At times, the frustration boiled over. With each tournament he didn't compete in, the anger began to build.

Sean Maekawa was a four-time Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion at Honokaa and had three top-12 finishes in the first five tournaments of his college career.

But Casey Martin, his coach at Oregon, wanted to make adjustments to his swing.

By the time his sophomore season ended, Maekawa, who played 42 rounds and had an average score of 74.5 as a freshman, competed in just four tournaments last year and saw his average score increase by more than a shot.

“;It was rough,”; Maekawa recalled. “;I had to adjust.”;

Will the adjustments to his swing pay off or will Maekawa struggle to find the game that made him a 2007 state champion?

Part of that answer will be determined over the next two days as Maekawa returned to the Big Island with his Oregon teammates to take part in the Mauna Lani Invitational that began yesterday, kicking off the Ducks' spring schedule.

Maekawa competed in three tournaments in the fall season, finishing in the top 30 in all of them. His average round dropped to 71.9, and this week's tournament is another chance to prove the sacrifices he made as a sophomore are paying off.

“;It's difficult because any time you go through challenges, it's hard,”; Maekawa said. “;I didn't really know what to make of it.

“;It was easy to get down on yourself and have doubts, but you just have to fight through it and stay positive. I've felt like I've matured a lot since then and learned a lot about myself and the game.”;

Maekawa opened the Mauna Lani Invitational yesterday with a 6-over 78, finishing with eight bogeys, two birdies and eight pars in front of familiar faces.

“;My family is here staying down at Waikoloa,”; Maekawa said.

Playing in front of loved ones isn't the only reason he calls this tournament his favorite.

“;Just to get out of the cold weather,”; he said.

Maekawa's journey to Oregon from Honokaa was made possible by a friend from junior golf, Matt Ma, who played at 'Iolani before becoming a Duck. Ma was instrumental in getting Maekawa to give Oregon a look.

“;I knew I wanted to play in the Pac-10 ... I knew Matt who went to Oregon before I did and he was a big influence in me going there.”;

Maekawa says this year has been the most fun he's had at Oregon, thanks in large part to the success of the football team in the fall.

“;This football season was the highlight of college so far,”; said Maekawa, who saw eight games in person, including a road game at Stanford. “;Everyone is just so supportive of the football team and watching them play at Autzen Stadium. There's nothing like it.”;

His first passion is still golf, however, and the work he's putting into the game now will hopefully pay off down the road as he tries to make a profession out of it.

“;My goal is to try and play golf for a living right now,”; he said. “;That's it. Just try to get better and better every day and see how it goes.”;

Alualu improves draft stock

Former California defensive lineman Tyson Alualu (Saint Louis '05) capped off a strong week of practice with a standout performance in the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl on Saturday in Mobile, Ala.

The two-time All-Pac 10 selection recovered a fumble and forced another on a sack of Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow for the North in a 31-13 victory over the South.

Alualu was singled out for his play multiple times on the NFL Network broadcast.

At one point, North coach Jim Schwartz, head coach of the NFL's Detroit Lions, was asked about Alualu. He specifically mentioned Alualu's diversity as a lineman who is strong enough to play inside and plug up the middle, as well as be fast enough to play on the end and rush the quarterback from the outside.

Alualu was also discussed as being one of the hardest workers and toughest players in the entire game.

Alualu measured 6-foot-2 and weighed in at 291 pounds.

Notables

Women's Basketball

» Idaho sophomore Shaena Kuehu (Punahou '08) finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in a 74-71 overtime loss to Louisiana Tech on Saturday. Kuehu finished 4-for-13 from the field, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range and 5-for-8 from the free-throw line.

» Cal State Northridge freshman Violet Alama (Kalani '09) started at center and had five points and eight rebounds in a 65-49 loss to Long Beach State last Thursday. Alama started alongside forward Analee Viena-Lota (Kamehameha '07), who had four points, seven rebounds and two assists. Freshman Janelle Nomura (Punahou '09) chipped in four points and four rebounds off the bench for the Matadors.

» Concordia (Calif.) junior guard Nicole Fu (Maryknoll '07) had 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals in a 60-59 loss to Hope International on Tuesday. Fu leads the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game and has four games of at least 20 points this season.

» UNLV sophomore Jamie Smith ('Iolani '08) had 10 points and a season-high 17 rebounds in a 62-56 win over Wyoming on Tuesday night, giving the Runnin' Rebels their first home conference win of the season. Smith has started all 22 games this season and is averaging 8.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

Men's Basketball

» Linfield (Ore.) senior Cody Tesoro (Baldwin '05) shot 9-for-16 from the floor and tied for a team high with 27 points in an 87-75 win over Puget Sound on Saturday. Tesoro also had three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

» Willamette (Ore.) sophomore Taylor Mounts ('Iolani '08) had 16 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes in a 102-83 loss to Whitman (Wash.) on Saturday.

Women's Water Polo

» Pacific (Calif.) junior Dara Tawarahara ('Iolani '07) scored 10 goals in five matches as the Tigers opened the season by going 2-3 in the NorCal Invite in Berkeley, Calif. Tawarahara had a season-high five goals in a 13-5 win over Cal State East Bay and also scored in matches against UC Davis, Stanford and Cal State Monterey Bay.

» Stanford junior goalkeeper Kim Hall (Punahou '07) made nine saves over the final two games of the NorCal Invite as the Cardinal finished 3-0 in the tournament at Berkeley, Calif. Hall had five saves in a 16-2 win over Cal State Monterey Bay and four more in a win over Pacific. The Cardinal also beat UC Santa Barbara,

» UC San Diego junior Hanalei Crowell (Kamehameha '07) had two goals, two assists and five steals in four games at the Michigan Invitational, Jan. 23-24. The Tritons went 0-4 in the tournament, losing to San Diego State, Michigan, San Jose State and UCLA.

Men's Volleyball

» Stanford sophomore Brad Lawson ('Iolani '08) had a match-high 26 kills in a five-set loss to Cal State Northridge on Friday. Senior setter Kawika Shoji ('Iolani '06) had 61 assists and 15 digs and sophomore libero Erik Shoji (Punahou '08) had 15 digs. Junior Jordan Inafuku (Kamehameha '07) added nine digs. Junior hitter Spencer McLachlin (Punahou '07) is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury.

» USC junior outside hitter Tri Bourne (Academy of the Pacific '07) had 18 kills and 10 digs and junior setter Riley McKibbin (Punahou '07) had 72 assists and eight digs in a four-set loss to Pepperdine on Friday.

» Pacific (Calif.) redshirt sophomore Nicolaas Schenk (Hawaii Prep '07) had five kills in a three-set loss to Cal State Northridge on Saturday.

Wrestling

» Dana (Neb.) College senior Ryan Tuzon (Baldwin '05) was named to the Great Plains Athletic Conference first team at 165 pounds. Tuzon led Dana to the league championship Saturday by winning the 165-pound title. Tuzon, the top seed, won three of his four matches by decision, including a 5-3 win over second-seeded Joe Sievert in the final.