NOTEBOOK
Kamehameha graduate will play football for Nevada

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

•	Let us know Homegrown Report chronicles feats of former Hawai'i high school athletes here and away. If you know of any deserving of recognition, give us their names, high schools and graduation years, colleges and sports. E-mail us or contact Leila Wai at 535-2457. Homegrown Report appears every Wednesday in The Honolulu Advertiser.

Now, he'll get his chance. Just not in the way he intended.

Spencer, a 6-foot, 185-pound wide receiver, signed a scholarship agreement Monday to play for Nevada, a Western Athletic Conference team.

Nevada is scheduled to play at Hawai'i on Oct. 9.

"My objective for going to a JC was to come home and play for the Warriors, but I guess that didn't work out. They didn't seem too interested," he said. "I was at Palomar (a California Community College) last season and wanted to get out.

"When Nevada saw how I did at Palomar, they tripped (a recruiting trip) me. They told me they would put me on scholarship for the spring. I brought all my stuff up in case I wanted to come here."

Spencer, who was an academic qualifier out of high school, said he took his recruiting trip to Nevada last weekend, and never left.

He is enrolled at Nevada for the spring semester. Spencer, who has three years of eligibility remaining, will be a sophomore in the fall semester.

He said other schools, including San Diego State and Boise State, wanted him to stay another year, but "I wanted to go somewhere I could play right out of JC; (Nevada) seemed really interested and excited about me fitting into the system."

Women's Water Polo

Iolani grad not happy with decision: Citing financial difficulties, Hartwick (Oneonta, N.Y.) president Richard A. Detweiler decided to drop two Division I programs — men's soccer and women's water polo — to Division III status.

That outraged water polo freshman Vonya Thomas (Iolani '03 of Honolulu).

"He (Detweiler) had us taken out of class that day and they gave us practically an hour before they were going to release it to the press," she said. "It was planned so there was nothing we could do."

The Empire 8 Athletic Conference, which Hartwick is a member of, does not compete in women's water polo, and there are only three other water polo programs on the East Coast.

"I see the program eventually diminishing because no girls are going to be traveling far to play water polo here," she said. "I don't see the water polo program continuing here after this."

She said the members of the men's soccer team and women's water polo team are looking into raising money to keep the programs on Division I status.

"We're really trying to let people know what is going on," she said. "We want to earn money, but the president isn't working with us and doesn't think that fundraising money at this time is going to help us."

Thomas, who chose Hartwick because of its combination of Division I water polo and a good nursing program, said "I would not have come out to the school if it wasn't for water polo. It's in the middle of New York in a small town. But I fell in love with it."

Men's Wrestling

Cornell's Lee headlining event: Cornell junior Travis Lee (Saint Louis '01 of Liliha) will headline the 38th annual National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic on Monday at the University of Northern Iowa-UNI Dome.

The Classic pits top collegiate wrestlers against each other in challenge matches that are often seen as a preview of the NCAA championships.

Top-ranked Lee will meet third-ranked Mark Jayne of Illinois at 133 pounds.

Lee retained his top ranking despite losing to Donald Lockett of San Francisco State on Dec. 30 — breaking his 42-match win streak.

Men's Basketball

Waiakea grad leads Boxers: Pacific (Ore.) sophomore guard Branden Kawazoe (Waiakea '02 of Hilo) led the Boxers with 18 points, including 12 in the first half, in a 72-70 overtime win over Whitworth Friday.

Women's Basketball

Honor for Tokoro: Cal State-Los Angeles junior point guard Monica Tokoro (Iolani '01 of 'Aiea) was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 12-18 after breaking the CSULA career assist record.

It was the fifth career CCAA Player of the Week honor for Tokoro and her first this season. She currently has 380 assists, and should break the CCAA career assist record of 464, set by Cal Poly Pomona's Paula Tezak from 1985-'88.

Tokoro scored 15 points and had five assists in a 75-72 loss to Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday. On Friday, she led CSULA with 25 points, adding six assists and three rebounds in a 75-73 loss to Cal Poly Pomona.

Men's Tennis

Lam posts wins: UCLA junior Chris Lam (home schooled from Kaimuki) and Tobias Clemens, ranked No. 23 in the country, defeated Fresno State's Alex Krohn and Stefan Suta, 8-0, at No. 2 doubles Thursday.

Lam posted a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory at No. 2 singles over Greg Shearer.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.