Island File
Wahine Smith named WAC track Athlete of Week
Advertiser Staff
Junior Cheryl Smith broke two University of Hawai'i track records over the weekend, and ran a provisional NCAA qualifying time. Yesterday, she became the first Western Athletic Conference Track and Field Athlete of the Week from UH.
Smith established a school record in the 10,000 meters Friday at the 43rd annual Mt. SAC Relays. Her time of 34 minutes, 25.35 seconds was 35 seconds faster than the previous mark, set 18 years ago. Smith finished second in the University/Open division with a time that beat her personal best by nearly a minute.
Saturday, at the Long Beach Invitational, Smith won the 5,000 meters — by nearly a minute — in a personal-best 16:52.03. It is the second-fastest time in the conference this year, and broke another UH record.
SOFTBALL
• Duran, Duran: Senior Desiree Duran's late-season surge earned her Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week honors again, the league announced yesterday.
Duran won two games and added a save last week, as the University of Hawai'i Wahine took 3-of-4 from Portland State. In 14 innings, Duran allowed nine hits, struck out 11 and gave up two earned runs.
Duran was also honored last week, after going 3-0 and shutting out 15th-ranked Fresno State twice.
Hawai'i pitchers have won weekly honors five times this season, with freshman Felicity Witt getting the season's first two, and senior Janelle Gonzales standing out a month ago.
• UHH sweeps: Taysha Anderson and Kristine Kahoalii pitched complete games as Hawai'i-Hilo swept a Pacific West Conference doubleheader from host Brigham Young-Hawai'i, 3-0 and 6-3, yesterday.
Anderson spaced 10 hits, struck out two and did not walk a batter while stranding nine runners over eight innings. Hard-luck losing pitcher Lyndi Frei allowed just five hits and struck out seven, but gave up three runs in the top of the eighth on three singles and two errors.
Kahoalii pitched a four-hitter and the Vulcans overcame a 2-1 deficit with five runs in the sixth, sparked by Leinani Hashida's two-run double.
UHH finished the season 28-18 overall and 15-9 in the PacWest. BYUH finished 17-32-1 and 6-18.
ACADEMICS
UH makes the grade: Wahine basketball lost the conference championship game, but won classroom honors yesterday, placing four players on the Western Athletic Conference All-Academic honor roll for winter sports.
Dainora Puida, Christen Roper, Michelle Gabriel and Natasja Allen were the honored Wahine.
No other basketball team had more than three honorees. The University of Hawai'i men's team was one of three with three players — Lane O'Connor, Nerijus Puida and Predrag Savovic also were all-academic selections in 2000. The year before, no Rainbows qualified.
There were also seven Wahine swimmers and divers earning honors — Renate and Sanja Du Plessis, Elizabeth Parkinson, Randi Rabideau, Lori Thomas, Tamara Tye and Sara Watchorn. Men's swimming and diving is not included.
Fifty-eight student-athletes were honored. To be eligible, students must have completed at least one academic year, have at least a 3.2 cumulative grade-point average and participated in at least half the team's contests.
SAILING
• Wahine sweep: The seventh-ranked University of Hawai'i Wahine finished first overall and in both A and B divisions this past weekend at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Yacht Racing Association's Dinghy Championships in Redwood City, Calif.
The team of Molly O'Bryan and Sarah Hitchcock had five first-place finishes to lead the A division with 37 points. Jennifer Warnock, Marin Diskant, Renee DeCurtis and Melody Torres scored nine victories, the most in either division, for a total of 27 points to lead B Division sailors.
UH had 64 points to second-place Stanford's 101. California was third with 103 points.
