ISLE FILE
Two more Warriors will play in Hula Bowl
Advertiser Staff
University of Hawai'i football players Mat McBriar and Justin Colbert have been invited to play in the 2003 Hula Bowl Maui, game officials announced yesterday.
"That's awesome," UH coach June Jones said. "It's great for both of them. They deserve it."
McBriar, a punter from Australia, was named to the Western Athletic Conference's first team.
Colbert, a wideout from Rialto, Calif., caught 92 passes in 2002, breaking UH's single-season record. He also made the All-WAC first team this year, and set the UH record for most career receptions with 212.
"That says a lot," Jones said. "there have been a lot of great players to play receiver at the school. For him to be the career leader says quite a bit."
They join UH teammates Chris Brown, Sean Butts, La'anui Correa, Lui Fuata, Vince Manuwai and Pisa Tinoisamoa.
The Hula Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 1, with a 4 p.m. kickoff at War Memorial Stadium.
SPORTS ACHIEVEMENT
• BYUH No. 22 in Directors' Cup: The Brigham Young-Hawai'i women's national championship volleyball team helped the Seasiders finish the fall sports season ranked 22nd in the Division II National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Directors' Cup, a program that honors schools' athletic excellence.
The BYUH volleyball team earned the school 100 points for the fall season. Chaminade finished tied for 80th. The Silverswords received 25 points for advancing to the regional women's volleyball tournament.
Grand Valley State (Mich.), which won the Division II national championship in football, finished the fall season in first place.
The NACDA standings are updated after each season (fall, winter and spring). Points are awarded based on each school's finish in up to 14 sports — seven men's and seven women's.
Each national champion receives 100 points.
BASKETBALL
• Hilo's Esene honored: Hawai'i-Hilo men's basketball player Osadonor "Skip" Esene scored 36 points in two victories in the two-day Coyote Classic in San Bernardino, Calif., and was named Pacific West Conference Player of the Week.
Against Angelo State (Texas) on Saturday, Esene, a 6-foot-6 junior forward, scored 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting and added four assists and three rebounds. In Sunday's championship game against Cal State San Bernardino, he was 10-of-12 from the free-throw line and scored 18 points.
In conference statistics he is sixth (74.7 percent) in free-throw shooting, eighth in offensive rebounds (2.2 pg), eighth in field goal percentage (51.2), ninth in assists (2.90 apg) and 13th in scoring (11.7 ppg).
Teammate Ryan Abrahams was previously recognized as a player of the week (December 16).
