Pacific's Torres among top athletes in Oregon | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Pacific's Torres among top athletes in Oregon | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper

Posted on: Wednesday, January 11, 2006

HOMEGROWN REPORT
Pacific's Torres among top athletes in Oregon

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

LET US KNOW

If you know of any athletes deserving of recognition, give us their names, high schools and graduation years, colleges and sports. E-mail us at: homegrown@honoluluadvertiser.com or contact Leila Wai at 535-2457.

Pacific (Forest Grove, Ore.) junior wrestler Kapua Torres was named as a finalist for the 2006 Ad Rutschman Award, which recognizes the top male and female small-college athlete in Oregon.

Torres, a Kahuku graduate, is the school's first double national wrestling champion, earning collegiate and junior national titles. She finished last season with a Pacific-record 22 wins and 12 pins. She is the first Pacific women's wrestler to capture 20 or more victories in a season. Torres has not competed this season to nurse a nerve injury.

The awards presentation will be Jan. 29, at Nike's Tiger Woods Center in Beaverton, Ore.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Colorado School of Mines (Golden, Colo.) freshman guard Kyle Pape (Iolani '05) has hit the 20-point mark in his past five games.

He scored 20 in a 96-67 win over UC-Colorado Springs on Saturday and a game-high 22 in a 73-69 loss to New Mexico Highlands on Thursday. He had 23 points, six assists and five rebounds in a 74-64 win over the University of Mary (N.D.) on Dec. 29. He followed that performance with a career-high 29 points in a 76-71 loss to North Dakota on Dec. 30.

His first 20-point performance was Dec. 17, when he scored 24 against Adams State (Colo.).

Webster (St. Louis) senior forward Christian Basilio (Hilo '02) had eight points and four rebounds in an 80-63 loss to Maryville (Mo.) Saturday.

Pacific (Forest Grove, Ore.) senior guard Branden Kawazoe (Waiakea of Hilo) scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half in a 70-67 loss to George Fox on Saturday.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Menlo (Calif.) sophomore guard Kepua Lee (Moanalua '04 of Honolulu) was named the California Pacific Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 5.

Lee was named the Peninsula Hoops Classic MVP after a 57-56 victory against Walsh (Ohio) University on Dec. 29, when she scored a game-high 20 points and secured 11 rebounds. A day later in a 65-56 upset of No. 13 Cornerstone University of Michigan, she scored 17. This is the second POW award for Lee this season.

Lee scored 20 points, with six rebounds and four assists, in a 74-39 win over Cal State East Bay on Friday. Menlo senior guard Shannon Riley (Maryknoll '02) added 11 points, four rebounds and six assists, and freshman guard Kelci Fushikoshi (Lahainaluna '05) had three points in her first career start.

Cal State East Bay sophomore guard Bre Carson (McKinley '04) scored four points with five rebounds and an assist.

Alcorn State (Miss.) sophomore center Latoya Wily (Kahuku '04) scored 15 points and added 10 rebounds and a career-high eight assists in a 79-78 overtime win over Prairie View on Jan. 4.

She scored eight and had 10 rebounds in a 60-59 loss to Jackson State on Saturday.

Pepperdine freshman forward/guard Taylor Smith (Kalaheo '05) scored eight points and grabbed two rebounds in an 84-61 win over San Diego on Sunday.

She scored six and had five boards in a 69-65 overtime loss to San Francisco on Friday.

MEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Cal State Northridge redshirt sophomore outside hitter Isaac Kneubuhl (Kamehameha '03 of Pukalani, Maui) hit a team-high .833 with 11 kills in 12 swings as Northridge defeated UC Santa Barbara, 30-23, 30-24, 30-19, to claim third place at the UCSB/Elephant Bar Tournament on Saturday.

SWIMMING

UC Irvine sophomore Chelsea Nagata (Maui '04 of Kahului) won three events at the UC Irvine/Ayres Hotel & Suites Sprints Invitational on Saturday.

Nagata won the 100 backstroke (56.61 seconds), 100 butterfly (55.81) and 50 butterfly (25.07).

Florida senior Nick Borreca (Punahou '02) won the 50 freestyle (20.70) in a dual meet with Penn State on Saturday.

San Diego senior Ashley Swart (Kaiser '02 of Hawai'i Kai) won three events in a dual meet with Loyola Marymount on Saturday.

She won the 100 breaststroke (1:05.98), 200 breaststroke (2:20.39) and 200 individual medley (2:05.81).

USD senior Ashley Rose (Kealakehe '02 of Kailua, Kona) finished second in the 100 backstroke (1:00.98), 50 freestyle (25.45) and 200 backstroke (2:10.00).

Dartmouth senior Kristin Simunovich (Punahou '02 of Kailua) won a pair of events in a dual meet against Vermont on Sunday.

Simunovich won the 200 freestyle (1:57.08) and 100 freestyle (54.64).

SOCCER

Southern Methodist senior forward Duke Hashimoto (Iolani '02 of Kapolei) was named to the SoccerTimes.com All-American second team.

Whitman (Walla Walla, Wash.) freshman midfielder Jason Shon (University High '05), Whitworth (Spokane, Wash.) sophomore midfielder Brent Murakami (Mililani '04) and Willamette (Salem, Ore.) freshman defender John William Chang (Iolani '05) were named to the Fall Academic All-Northwest Conference team.

Shon and Chang both earned 4.00 GPAs and are undeclared and Murakami earned a 3.8 in business/marketing.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Whitworth (Spokane, Wash.) sophomore midfielder Erin Nakasone (Mililani) was named to the Fall Academic All-Northwest Conference team. She earned a 3.6 GPA in elementary education.

CROSS COUNTRY

Pacific (Forest Grove, Ore.) sophomore Michelle Lee (Mililani '05) and Puget Sound sophomore Kelly Higa (Iolani '04) were Fall Academic All-Northwest Conference picks.

Lee earned a 3.71 GPA in exercise science and Higa a 3.53 in business.

FOOTBALL

Former All-State player B.J. Batts (Saint Louis '04 of Kapolei) is transferring from Alcorn State (Miss.) to Golden West College (Calif.) this month for the spring semester, according to his father, Barry E. Batts Sr.

Batts, the Advertiser Player of the Year in 2003, was a kick returner for Alcorn State, but did not record any statistics this season.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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