Posted on: Friday, May 20, 2005

ISLE FILE
Two earn softball honors

Advertiser Staff

Hawai'i center fielder Tara Harbert and Brigham Young third baseman Ashlyn Russell, a Baldwin High graduate, have been named to the 2005 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-West Region softball first team.

They are now eligible for All-America honors.

BYU first baseman Ianeta Lei, an Iolani School graduate, was named to the second team.

Harbert, a junior from Longmont, Colo., led the Western Athletic Conference with a .486 batting average and was second in stolen bases (7 for 9) in earning all-conference honors. For the season, she batted .423 with 27 runs scored and 14 stolen bases.

Harbert is only the 13th player in UH history to earn a spot on the West Region's first team.

Russell, a junior from Kihei, Maui, batted .322 with six doubles and a team-high 17 home runs. Russell and Lei, a junior who batted .359 with 10 home runs, also earned all-Mountain West Conference honors.

GOLF

Mason second after 67

University of Hawai'i-Hilo senior Nick Mason, a Leilehua High graduate, shot a 4-under-par 67 yesterday to move into second place at the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships in Savannah, Ga.

Mason's third-round score was tied for the best of the day on the 7,026-yard Savannah Harbor course. He stands at 3-under 210, three strokes back of leader Dane Burkhart of South Carolina-Aiken. Burkhart shot 68 yesterday to put his team in the lead at 865.

Armstrong Atlantic trails South Carolina-Aiken by four strokes, with UH-Hilo and St. Edward's sharing third at 879.

Other Hilo golfers are: Kevin Shimomura (71—220, tie for 27th), Garrett Okamura (73—221, tie for 31st), Colin Gilliam (78—228, tie for 65th) and Troy Higashiyama (86—250, 105th).

Kyono shares 31st

Pepperdine senior Rachel Kyono, a 2002 Kaua'i High graduate, shot a 2-over-par 73 yesterday at the NCAA Division I Women's Championships at Sunriver, Ore.

Kyono is tied for 31st at 224, 11 strokes behind leader Anna Grzebien (65) of Duke.

Pepperdine, with a three-round team total of 885, slipped from a share of the lead to fourth behind Duke (873), Auburn (881) and UCLA (882).

Ota, Castillo qualify

Jonathan Ota and Michael Castillo earned berths in the sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open Championship yesterday after taking the top two spots at a USGA local qualifier on the Po'ipu Bay Golf Course on Kaua'i.

Ota shot 1-under 71 and Castillo shot 1-over 73 to reach the June 6 sectional qualifier at the Ka'anapali North Course on Maui.

Kellen Watabu (74) is first alternate and Cory French (75) second alternate.

BOXING

Isle fighters advance

Wahiawa's Brian Battease and Wai'anae's Samson Guillermo won their 125-pound bouts in the quarterfinals of the Golden Gloves tournament yesterday at Little Rock, Ark.

Battease decisioned Wilton Hilario, of St. Louis Park, Minn., 3-2. Guillermo, currently fighting out of Marquette, Mich., scored a 5-0 decision over Salvador Ruiz IV, of Toledo, Ohio.

Two other fighters from Hawai'i were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Van Oscar Penovaroff, of Kailua, Kona, lost a 4-1 decision to Diego Magdaleno, of Las Vegas, and Wahiawa's John Phillips dropped a 3-2 decision to Jonathan Nelson, of Little Rock, Ark.

TRACK AND FIELD

Murray recognized

University of Hawai'i junior Novelle Murray has been named to this week's Trackwire Dandy Dozen in the discus.

The Dandy Dozen projects a power ranking of the top 12 athletes and relay squads in the country in each NCAA event.

Murray owns the nation's 13th-best discus throw of 177 feet, 11 inches, set at the Triton Invitational in April.