ISLE FILE
Kai voted top player in WAC soccer
Advertiser Staff
University of Hawai'i junior forward Natasha Kai was selected as the preseason Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year, as voted on by league coaches.
Kai, the reigning two-time WAC Player of the Year, is in Iceland for the Nordic Cup with the U.S. Under-21 Women's National Team.
She led the nation in scoring last year with 29 goals, and was also last year's preseason WAC Player of the Year.
Also selected to the preseason All-WAC team was UH senior midfielder Joelle Sugai.
BASEBALL
Hilo routed at Big League Regional
Hilo's run at the Little League Big League (ages 16 to 18) Western Regional at San Bernardino, Calif., ended yesterday with a 13-0 loss to Southern California.
Martan Soto had a two-run double and a grand slam for Southern California, which had 12 hits.
Hilo needed to beat Southern California twice to advance to the World Series.
Hawai'i Warriors fall at Cooperstown
The Hawai'i Warriors lost to the Clinton Comets, 17-10, at the Cooperstown Dreams Park Tournament at New York for ages 12 and younger.
Hawai'i's Tyler Nishimoto batted 3 for 4 with a homer and five RBIs, and George Cambra also homered.
In another game, Imua Hawai'i lost 7-5 to the Utah Shock.
Suzuki belts first professional homer
Kurt Suzuki, a Baldwin High graduate from Maui, hit his first professional home run yesterday in Vancouver's 12-8 win over Spokane in a Northwest League game at Spokane, Wash.
Suzuki, who helped Cal State Fullerton to the College World Series title this year, hit a two-run homer in the top of the fourth, giving the Canadians a 4-2 lead.
Suzuki went 3 for 4 in the game with three runs scored and two RBIs.
Vancouver is the rookie league team of the Oakland Athletics.
SWIMMING
UH women awarded All-Academic status
The University of Hawai'i women's swim team has been awarded All-Academic status by the College of Swimming Coaches Athletic Association for maintaining a grade point average of 2.936 this past spring.
Seven members of the men's and women's teams also garnered individual academic All-America honors: Cheyne Bloch (4.00 gpa), Kurt Boehm (3.87), Michael Gowdy (3.82), YingJuan Zhen (3.76), QiongJie Huang (3.66), Mia Broden (3.61) and Yan Chen (3.56).
To qualify, the student-athletes must have earned a minimum GPA of 3.50 in the spring semester.
GOLF
Fujikawa fourth at Optimist tourney
Tadd Fujikawa of Honolulu shot a final-round 71 yesterday to finish fourth in the boys 12 to 13 age division at the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships at Palm Beach, Fla.
He finished five strokes behind medalist Tommy Chung-hao Mou of Taipei, Taiwan, who had a total of 202.
In the girls 10 to 11 division, Kelli Oride of Lihu'e, Kaua'i, finished fifth with a 153 total, 17 strokes behind winner Chirapat Jao-javanil of Thailand.
