Waipahu grad eager to play football against UH
By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer
Iakopo Leota was looking forward to playing football for the University of Hawai'i at Aloha Stadium next season.
Instead, he will be playing against the Warriors in next season's opening game.
UH brought Leota, a 2000 Waipahu High graduate, home from Fresno City College for an official recruiting visit last month, but did not offer him a scholarship.
University of Akron — which plays UH here on Aug. 30 — brought him to Ohio for an official recruiting visit last week and offered him a scholarship. Leota accepted on the spot.
He will sign a National Letter of Intent today.
Leota is the 15th player from the 2002 Fresno City College team to sign with a Division I team, coach Tony Caviglia said. Six are going to the Pac-10.
Leota was Fresno's best defensive lineman, Caviglia said.
"I was looking forward to coming home to play with my best friend, Rocky Faga, and my cousins, Isaac Sopoaga and Lui Fuga," Leota said. "I waited on UH, but nothing happened. They wanted me to walk on."
Leota, who goes by the English translation of his name, "Jacob," on the Mainland, said he will get his AA degree at the end of the semester and will have two years to play two for Akron.
"My main goal is to work hard to earn a position," he said. "I'll be hyped up" for the game against UH.
His father, also named Iakopo, said, "We want him to be independent. I told him 'I'll back you up whatever you decide to do.' I was looking forward to seeing him play here."
He will, for one game anyway.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
• Cal State-Los Angeles
It was a double double-double weekend for sophomore Monica Tokoro (Iolani '01 of 'Aiea). She had 19 points and 11 assists against UC-Davis Friday night, followed by 20 points and 12 assists against Chico State Saturday night.
But Cal State-LA, significantly out-rebounded, lost both games.
Tokoro remains third nationally in NCAA II in scoring at 22.9 points per game and moved up to eighth in assists at 6.8.
• Irvine Valley (Calif. JC)
Freshman Ashley Takata "is really coming around as our point guard," coach Julie Hanks said. "In high school (Kalani '02) she was her team's star; now she is learning to play with other good players and distribute the ball."
Takata is averaging 11.8 points, 4.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game, Hanks said.
On Friday she scored 15 points, including two critical 3-pointers, in a 53-45 victory over Golden West. "Most impressive," Hanks said, "was the way she took care of the ball. They were challenging us in the final three minutes, and Ashley didn't turn the ball over."
• Lassen (Calif. JC)
Mereani "Nani" Lewenilovo (Kahuku '02) was Lassen's leading scorer in its last two games, averaging 15 points and 15 rebounds, coach Mark Nareau said.
"She has worked her way into the starting lineup of a team that is 17-9," Nareau said.
Dayna Gambill (Honoka'a '97), later a two-year starter at UNLV, and Hokulani Hall of Kahuku previously played for Nareau at Lassen. "We want to keep that Pineapple Express coming," he said.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
• Scottsdale (Ariz. JC)
Sophomore point guard Sky Wilson (Kalaheo '01) is averaging 13 points, five assists and four rebounds per game. He has made 85 percent of his free-throw attempts, and played 35 minutes per game for 14-8 Scottsdale, coach Paul Eberhardt says.
"Stephen F. Austin, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Cal-Irvine, Idaho State, and multiple Division II schools are recruiting him," Eberhardt says.
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
• Orange Coast (Calif. JC)
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| JEREMIAH |
Jeremiah set a career record of 422 digs at Orange Coast, and her 235 digs the past season — her first as a libero — are seventh most.
She received the Coaches' Award as the team's "unsung hero," coach Chuck Cutenese said, and received honorable mention Orange Empire Conference.
Orange Coast went 45-8 in Jeremiah's two seasons and finished third last fall among California's 84 community college teams.
"Part of that success was due to the stability Janelle gave us with her passing and defense," Cutenese said.
Jeremiah, who was a 5-foot-8 all-state defensive specialist on Kamehameha's No. 1 nationally ranked team in 1999, says, "Playing libero is wonderful, being on the court all the time.
"Hawai'i kids are not exactly the tallest, and I know a ton of kids (in Hawai'i) who could totally make it into any program because of their passing skills."
WOMEN'S SOCCER
• Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.)
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| SUZUKI |
Junior defender Shelly Suzuki (Punahou '00 of Kailua) was selected second-team All-Far West Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association and was All-Southern California Conference for the second year in a row.
Suzuki was a team captain and has been elected to be a captain again next season.
"She made incredible contributions from the back as a defender, but scored the goal that clinched a share of the conference title," Clark said. "Shelly is more dangerous than anyone else we have."
Meanwhile, sophomore goalkeeper Mele Sato (Punahou '01 of Round Top) never played in a game, but displayed "positive leadership. She made every practice and made every game," Clark said, and shared the Coaches' Award with Suzuki.
Suzuki attends Claremont-McKenna and Sato attends Harvey Mudd. The athletic programs are combined.
SWIMMING
• University of San Diego
School records keep falling in the wake of freshman Ashley Swart (Kaiser '02).
On Saturday, in a meet with UC-San Diego, Swart focused on the breaststroke. She cut the school and her personal records by more than a second in the 200-yard race to 2 minutes, 16.63 seconds; and to 1:04.04 in the 100.
In both breaststroke events Swart has broken the records set by Kristine Hayashi (Baldwin '97) in her first season at San Diego.
Swart has the Torero's best times of the season in nine events.
ALL ACADEMIC
Among athletes earning academic recognition for fall sports were:
• Pac-10
Eri Macdonald (Punahou '99 of Kailua), Oregon redshirt junior, first-team (3.66 GPA, journalism).
Alicia Snyder-Carlson (St. Anthony '99 of Kihei), Oregon senior, honorable mention.
• West Coast Conference
Kealani Kimball (Kamehameha '00 of Kaunakakai, Moloka'i), Loyola Marymount junior (3.25, business).
