PacWest will ask for exemption from 10-sport rule
Advertiser Staff
The Pacific West Conference will petition the NCAA for an exemption on a tenth conference sport that is required for the 2004-05 season, according to a conference athletic director.
The athletic directors and presidents of the PacWest — composed of Brigham Young-Hawai'i, Chaminade, Hawai'i-Hilo, Hawai'i Pacific, Montana State-Billings and Western New Mexico — decided on Friday to seek an exemption, according to BYUH athletic director Randy Day.
A new NCAA rule requires each Division II school in the Pacific West Conference to field 10 conference sports for the 2004-05 season to receive voting privileges and NCAA money.
Each PacWest school has seven conference sports with three men's sports (basketball, tennis and cross country) and four women's sports (softball, tennis, volleyball and cross country).
The addition of men's and women's golf by the 2004-05 season will boost the number of conference sports to nine.
Day said the intent of the NCAA rule was to have high standards for a school that desired entry into NCAA Division II from the NAIA or NCAA Division III. But Day said the rule penalizes the PacWest because of the relatively small composition of the conference and burdens schools with fiscal and travel problems.
"We're going to present that petition this summer," Day said. If the exemption is not granted, "it still gives us a year to implement a tenth sport," he said.
SURFING
• Three advance to third round: Hawai'i surfers Rochelle Ballard, Megan Abubo and Keala Kennelly advanced to the third round of the Roxy Pro yesterday.
The opening day of the women's contest was completed in 4- to 6-foot waves at Cloudbreak, Tavarua, Fiji.
Ballard advanced directly to the third round after posting one of the top scores of the first round. Her top two waves received scores of 8.83 and 6.73.
Abubo and Kennelly lost in the first round, but remained in contention by advancing through the "second chance" second round. Kennelly posted a single-wave score of 9.0 (out of 10) in the second round.
The contest is the second stop on the women's World Championship Tour.
BASEBALL
• HPU finishes 24-23: Derek Little hit a two-run double in a five-run first inning to help Hawai'i Pacific to a 10-6 victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills in the first game of a doubleheader at Carson, Calif., yesterday.
In the second game, Joe Gevas hit two home runs to lead the Toros to a 6-4 victory.
Hawai'i Pacific finished its season 24-23. CS Dominguez Hills is 27-24.
In the first game, Shay Hirota went 3-for-5. Ikaika DuPont, Tyler Ward and Little each had four hits in the doubleheader.
• UH-Hilo swept: Jesse Schmidt went 7 for 8 to lead host Sacramento State to an 11-7 and 11-4 sweep of Hawai'i-Hilo yesterday.
Sacramento State is 27-18, UH-Hilo 9-37. The Vulcans complete their season today against the Hornets.
Schmidt hit two home runs, including a grand slam, scored four runs and had eight RBIs in the doubleheader.
In the first game, the Hornets rallied from a 7-2 deficit, scoring nine runs on nine hits in the seventh inning.
Schmidt went 4 for 4 in the second game, including his two home runs.
WATER POLO
• UH to play for seventh: Hawai'i outscored San Diego State 6-4 in the second half, but fell short in a 8-7 loss to the Aztecs in consolation-bracket play at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament at Stanford, Calif., yesterday.
Karin van Hoff and Darcy Scott-Hosaka each scored two goals for UH.
The Rainbow Wahine play UC Santa Barbara today for seventh place.
TRACK AND FIELD
• UH's McRobbie sets mark: Robin McRobbie of Hawai'i broke her own school record with a victory in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the UC San Diego Invitational on Friday.
McRobbie finished in 11 minutes, 6.35 seconds, breaking her record by four seconds. She set the record last week at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational.
GOLF
• UH men finish 7th: Hawai'i's men's golf team finished tied for seventh at the Ping Golf Cougar Classic at the Riverside Country Club in Provo, Utah, yesterday.
The Warriors shot 300 (best four of five scores) in the third and final round for a 896. Colorado State won the tournament with a 286-857. Denver and host BYU finished second at 858.
James Beston finished at 3-over-par 219 after a 1-under 71 yesterday and was UH's highest finisher, tied for 12th.
Martin Laird of Colorado State was medalist, finishing at 7-under 209 (73 yesterday).
SOFTBALL
• Vulcans split doubleheader: Wendy Layton hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning to lead the Hawai'i-Hilo softball team to a 14-2 win against Montana State-Billings in the first game of a Pacific West Conference doubleheader yesterday at Billings, Mont.
The Vulcans (28-19, 12-8) dropped the second game, 8-1
BOWLING
• PBA West on Kaua'i, O'ahu: The Professional Bowlers Association West Region's fourth annual Rice Shopping Center Open is scheduled for today to Tuesday atÊKaua'i's Lihu'e Bowling Center.
The PBA West Region Ebonite Hawai'i Open is May 2-4 at Schofield Bowling Center on O'ahu.
The field includes Robert Smith, of Simi Valley, Calif., who has been tracked at throwing the ball 34 mph with as many as 27 revolutions per shot.
Smith has four PBA Tour titles and eight PBA Regional titles, including a sweep of Hawai'i events in 2001.
Other notable PBA regional players scheduled to compete are national touring players Dave Wodka, Tony Reyes and Michael Haugen Jr. The reigning West Region Bowler of the Year Marv Sargent is returning along with the past three years Bowlers of the Year, Ben Laughlin (2001), Gene Bruihl (2000) and Rick Meneley (1999).Ê
Hawai'i bowlers include Scot Mitamura, Mike Kanada, Daniel Miyamoto John Gonsalves, and Chad Pojas.
The Kaua'i tournament begins with practice from 2-4 p.m. and a pro-am will be held at 5 p.m. today. Qualifying begins at 9 a.m. tomorrow with the top 12 players advancing to the match play finals on Tuesday at 10 a.m.
ULTIMATE FIGHTING
• Corriera wins: Hilo's Wesley "Cabbage" Corriera (18-4-0) beat New York's Sean Alvarez (4-3-0) with a technical knockout 1:47 of the second round Friday night at UFC 42: Sudden Impact at Miami, Fla.
In the main event welterweight champion Matt Huges of Illinois (29-3-0) retained his title with a victory over Sean Sherk of Minnesota (22-1-1).
MEETING
• Quarterback Club: Iolani baseball coach Dean Yonamine and catcher Kala Kaaihue are scheduled to speak at tomorrow's Ho-nolulu Quarterback Club.
The club's luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. and meeting at noon at Pagoda Restaurant.
Other speakers include Punahou girls basketball coach Mike Taylor and Na Koa boosters club president Don Murphy.
