Small Colleges
Eleven Hawai'i softball players on PacWest academic team
By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
Someone buy Melisha Ausua a bigger day planner.
The Chaminade catcher was one of 11 Hawai'i players named this week to the Pacific West Softball Academic Team — a recognition that went virtually unnoticed by Ausua in the perpetual headspin that is her life.
"I didn't know," said Ausua, formerly Melisha Fernandez. "It's been kind of busy this semester."
Ausua, an economics major, holds a 3.91 cumulative grade point average. She joins three Chaminade teammates — Shanelle Yamane (3.88, accounting); Amber Bareswill (3.46, history) and Melissa Marquez (3.40, history/psychology) on the 31-player academic team.
The other Hawai'i representatives are Brigham Young-Hawai'i's Alisha Durrette (3.61, psychology), Margaret Reynolds, (3.60, math education) and Tami Layton (3.52, exercise and sports science); Hawai'i Pacific's Samee Fernandez (3.54, psychology), Kristin Fujii (3.54 business administration) and Alisa Iloreta (3.39, psychology); and Hawai'i-Hilo's Rachel Loo (3.39 political science).
Ausua says she changed majors several times before settling on economics, a discipline, she says, that "challenged my mind."
It was an appropriate choice for someone who's managed to reap big returns on her investments of time and energy.
This semester, Ausua found her self bouncing between four classes (she's used to taking six), softball practice, softball games and volunteer work at the Chinese Immigration Center.
"It was hard because our practices were at night and a lot of us had classes and other activities during the day," she said. "I just tried to study early in the morning and whenever I had a break in-between."
Ausua, a Wai'anae graduate, said her volunteer work helping immigrants prepare for their citizenship exam offered a much-needed respite.
"Being able to help other people took me away from the stress of school and studying and softball," she said. "I enjoyed it, and the people I worked with were really appreciative.
Ausua did the volunteer work as part of a class of marriage and family, a topic she's in which she's now doing some advanced research. She married Israel Ausua over the summer and, during a road trip to California last month, found out she's going to be a mother.
The news cut short what had been a challenging season for Ausua. The Silverswords wobbled to a 9-19 (9-15 PacWest) record and Ausua, suffering constant knee and back pain, had to split time between catcher and first base.
• HPU awards: Hawai'i Pacific honored Wojtek Bratek (men's tennis), Jannicke Snildal (women's soccer) and Debbie Sant'Anna (volleyball) as its 2000-2001 scholar-athletes of the year last night at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel.
Both Wojtek and Sant'Anna majored in Business Administration. Wojtek earned a 4.00 cumulative grade-point-average, Sant'Anna a 3.56. Snildal received a 3.95 GPA, majoring in history.
The awards are based on excellence in the classroom, playing field and community.
Award winners by activity:
Larson Kiyabu (band); Tyrus Matsumoto (baseball); Zachary Stephens (basketball); Chris John (cheerleading); Jason Noriega (men's cross country); Lisa Blomme (women's cross country); Kim Ekimoto (dance); Olav Fyrileiv (men's soccer); Jannicke Snidal (women's soccer); Samee Fernandez (softball); Wojtek Bratek (men's tennis); Marissa Matsuda (women's tennis); Debbie Sant'Anna (volleyball).
