Bruce Irons repeats as Gotcha Pipeline champ
Advertiser Staff
Kaua'i's Bruce Irons captured his second consecutive Gotcha Pipeline at Ehukai Beach on the North Shore yesterday after posting a near-perfect score on his final ride.
In 3- to 4-foot surf and glassy conditions, Irons got covered up in a tube for about four seconds before popping out, punctuating his ride on the backdoor shelf. He scored a 9.56 out of a possible 10.
Irons finished 11 points ahead of Australia's Koby Abberton. Zane Harrison posted third.
Kailua's Jason Bogle finished fourth among the 176 competitors.
Irons earned $6,000 for the win and 1,500 ratings points for the Association of Surfing Professionals.
FOOTBALL
• Clinic starts today: The seventh annual Nike Hawai'i Football Clinic begins today at the Turtle Bay Hotel.
The staff includes Southern Cal head coach Pete Carroll, Brigham Young head coach Gary Crowton and University of Hawai'i assistant Rich Miano.
The clinic runs through Sunday. For more information call, Rick Sakata 896-2140.
TENNIS
• Women at Waikoloa: The second women's Big Island Championships is Sept. 7-15 at the $140,000 Hilton Waikoloa Village courts.
Sandrine Testud won the inaugural event last September, defeating Justine Henin. It was Testud's first tournament victory since 1998. She won $22,000. The purse for the WTA event is $140,000.
Sunday's final of the Kroger St. Jude tournament featured the winners of the past two men's Waikoloa Challengers. Andy Roddick defeated James Blake, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
BASKETBALL
• Sellitto honored: Hawai'i Pacific men's basketball coach Tony Sellitto was named one of 25 Sports Ethics Fellows for 2002 by the Institute for International Sport.
The institute selects fellows to recognize individuals who consistently demonstrate an interest in promoting the ideals of ethics and fair play in sport and society.
Other fellows include NASCAR's Jeff Gordon and San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson.
"To be included on such a list ... is quite an honor," Sellitto said in a press release. "However, without a team, there are no awards. You're only as good as your team."
Sellitto will retire as head coach after this season, his 14th at HPU.
SWIMMING AND DIVING
• UH second: The University of Hawai'i men's swimming and diving team is in second place with 172 points at the National Independent Conference Championships at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich.
Southern Methodist is first with 264 points. The meet runs through tomorrow.
UH's Konstantin Dubrovin finished first in the 500-yard freestyle in four minutes, 31.46 seconds.
The Wahine are fifth out of six teams after the second of the Western Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships at San Antonio, Texas.
Southern Methodist leads with 280 points. Hawai'i has 153. The meet runs through tomorrow.
