Highlights from the '90s

Advertiser Staff

1990-91

Volleyball wins fourth consecutive Big West championship and Karrie Trieschman and Cheri Boyer earn All-America honors. Jennifer Koprowski wins Big West 50 freestyle and Heather Hasslinger is conference diving champion. Softball sets record for wins (33), Patti Su'a becomes the program's first Bonham winner and Rayla Allison resigns to become first full-time executive director of national Softball Coaches Association. Karen Felicilda and Mina Hall are all-conference in tennis. Freshman Lynn McCool wins Utah-Dixie Golf Classic. Rachel Graybill is 30th at cross country regionals.

1991-92

Assistant Bob Coolen becomes head softball coach and Tracy Loo is program's first GTE Academic All-American, and all-region selection. Basketball, utilizing a platoon system, wins its Classic, is ranked as high as No. 13 and finishes second at NWIT. Rainbow Wahine Hui support group returns. Jennifer Koprowski wins Big West championship in 50 free and is conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Heidi McElhaney, part of the record-setting 400-meter freestyle team, wins Bonham Award. Kee Williams, Cheri Boyer and Malin Fransson are volleyball All-Americans, but lose their first rally-scoring match to Long Beach State in regional final. Mina Hall earns third all-conference tennis honor and, with Rene Koahou, gets Hawai'i's first conference championship. Wahine program has a 90-percent graduation rate.

1992-93

Vince Goo is Big West Coach of the Year after guiding basketball to its best-ever record (28-4) and the regular-season conference championship. His "Divine Nine" team is not invited to NCAA tournament, causing an uproar. Diane Okada becomes first Wahine tennis player to be named conference Player of the Year and wins Big West singles. Golfer Lynn McCool ties for 29th at NCAA West Regionals. Hawai'i is site of Big West cross country and golf championships. Volleyball is not invited to postseason for first time. Wendy Chen is named to Sailing World's 1993 All-Star Crew. Michelle Carter wins Big West 1-meter diving. Danelle Haia is all-Big West softball and Bonham winner.

1993-94

Softball, with freshman pitcher Brooke Wilkins, goes 51-14 and rises as high as No. 7 in country. It ties for first in Big West and loses to Missouri in NCAA Regional final. Wilkins is conference Pitcher of the Year and Hawai'i's first All-American, and Bob Coolen is Big West Coach of the Year. Vince Goo is conference Coach of the Year, guiding his team to 25-5, a tie for first in Big West, and first round of NCAA Tournament. Melanie Azama wins Bonham Award and Nani Cockett is Big West Freshman of the Year, as is volleyball player Angelica Ljungquist, who helps UH into NCAA Regional final and earns second-team All-America honors. Cross country takes second in Big West — its best finish ever — and qualifies for regionals for first time in three years. Golfer Kari Williams qualifies for NCAA West Regional. Pinsoom Tenzing is hired to develop soccer team. Michelle Carter wins Big West diving. Diane Okada earns second all-conference honor in singles and doubles.

1994-95

Special Events Arena opens Oct. 21, 1994, and volleyball leads nation in attendance, an accomplishment it has easily repeated every year since. Women's budget reaches $2 million. Softball again advances to regional final, where it loses to eventual national champion UCLA. Bruins later forfeit title because of infractions. Pitcher Brooke Wilkins is named All-American, then leaves to join Australia's Olympic team. Soccer finishes with winning record. Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano appointed to NCAA Women's Volleyball Committee and Angelica Ljungquist is second-team volleyball All-American, while teammate Brandi Brooks wins Bonham Award.

1995-96

Volleyball wins first 31 matches, then loses regional final. Team sets NCAA attendance record with 145,006 fans. Angelica Ljungquist and Robyn Ah Mow are All-Americans. Dave Shoji is conference and District 7 Coach of the Year. Basketball wins its first conference tournament title and loses to Auburn in NCAA's first round, setting an NCAA record for best turnaround (6-20 to 23-6). All-conference senior Tania Brunton — the Bonham winner — will go on to become basketball's first Olympian (New Zealand, 2000). Softball player Tia Morenz is second-team All-American. New six-year gender equity plan is created as a result of the NCAA Athletics Certification process. It adds four women's sports (soccer, water polo, sailing and track and field).

1996-97

Program joins men in Western Athletic Conference. Volleyball loses to Stanford in NCAA Championship final. Angelica Ljungquist is national Player of the Year, first Wahine to become four-time All-American and wins Bonham Award. Robyn Ah Mow repeats as All-American and Dave Shoji is WAC Pacific Division and District 7 Coach of the Year. Shari Smart is hired to start and coach first water polo team. Dana Degen is second-team softball All-American.

1997-98

Cecelia Goods is WAC Pacific Player of the Year and lifts Wahine to volleyball division title, but they lose to Loyola Marymount in NCAA's first round. Nani Cockett is Pacific Player of the Year and helps basketball to division title and NCAA Tournament, earning All-American honors and the Bonham Award. Vince Goo is WAC Coach of the Year. Program sets game and season attendance records. Water polo goes 29-12 in first season and places fourth at nationals. Marie-Luc Arpin leads country in scoring and is named All-American before leaving to play on Canada's Olympic team. Sailing qualifies for nationals in first year. Softball goes 46-15 and reaches NCAA Regionals. Tia Morenz, Joyce Lum, Kelly Gentle are All-Americans. Former Wahine Marga Stubblefield replaces former Wahine Bobbi Kokx as golf coach.

1998-99

Volleyball beats BYU to win WAC Tournament in longest match in NCAA history, then loses to Florida in regional final. Heather Bown is first-team All-American, WAC Pacific Player of the Year and MVP of WAC Tournament. Dave Shoji is Pacific and District 7 Coach of the Year. Basketball player Raylene Howard is All-American and Pacific Division Player of the Year, while teammate BJ Itoman captures Bonham Award. Sam Freas is WAC Coach of the Year in swimming in his first season. Katie Hill and Michele Wong are water polo All-Americans. Sailing and water polo finish eighth at nationals. Softball opens its new stadium, and loses in NCAA regional final. Kelly Gentle and Dana Degen are All-Americans.

1999-00

Budget goes over $3 million. Volleyball goes undefeated in WAC, but loses in NCAA regional a week before playing host to final four. Hawai'i is site of first NCAA Championship sellout — three months before the event. Heather Bown is WAC co-Player of the Year and All-American, and Lily Kahumoku WAC Freshman of the Year. Carolyn Katayama becomes Wahine tennis coach. Soccer places second in WAC to qualify for its first conference tournament. Lisa De Rossi and Karin Umemura are water polo All-Americans. Molly O'Bryan becomes first Wahine sailing All-American. Raylene Howard is again All-American and WAC Player of the Year, and becomes basketball's third consecutive Bonham Award winner. Swimming is 16-0 in dual meets and second in WAC. Dana Degen is WAC Player of the Year in softball and becomes three-time All-American before turning pro.

2000-01

Volleyball wins another WAC title and loses to Nebraska in NCAA Championship semifinals. Lily Kahumoku is WAC Player of the Year and All-American; Maja Gustin and Kim Willoughby share WAC Freshman of the Year honors. Former Wahine Heather Bown and Robyn Ah Mow start in Olympics for U.S., which finishes a surprisingly high fourth. Cross country runner Cheryl Smith establishes a record for most victories in a season. Track and field is reinstated, with head coach Carmyn James. Smith qualifies for the NCAA Championship in 10,000 meters. Skippered by two-time All-American Molly O'Bryan, sailing wins national championship. Basketball reaches WNIT semifinals and nearly plays into April. Swimming and diving is second in WAC and 24th in NCAA, with 200 free relay team and Olympian Renate DuPlessis (100 butterfly) earning All-America honors. Softball reaches NCAA regionals behind All-Americans Desiree Duran and Natalie Gonzales. Soccer averages more than 1,000 fans — ninth in nation — at new Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium. Water polo player Andrea Nishioka, whose sister Susan was instrumental in starting the program, wins Bonham Award.