There wasn’t much to the recruiting process for Kayla Shimoda.

Once the Punahou student found out Columbia University had a spot for her on its softball team, her mind was instantly made up.

"The prestige of the school," Shimoda said over the phone Tuesday. "Having the opportunity to be a student-athlete here, I knew I wanted to come here."

The 2011 Punahou graduate dove right in without any expectations and quickly realized how tough the academics at such a prestigious Ivy League school would be.

She’s had to balance that with being a four-year starter on a softball team that has improved every season she has been there.

At times, it’s seemed like more than she could handle, but it’s also why she chose the school in the first place.

"Columbia has been extremely challenging in terms of balancing the academic rigor on top of a demanding softball schedule, but I hope to be able to utilize the skills and perspective that I’ve gained as a student athlete in the future," Shimoda said. "This experience has really been a dream come true."

It only gets better this weekend as Shimoda returns home to play in front of family and friends for the first time in college.

Columbia is one of five teams competing in the Hawaii Pacific Health Rainbow Wahine Classic that begins Wednesday.

Columbia will play doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday and then stick around to play Hawaii twice more next week before leaving to play three games in San Diego, Calif.

The six total games matches the number of games the Lions have played all year due to a later start date and the cancellation of games because of weather.

"My friends have said it’s a little cold (in Hawaii), but for us, we’re ecstatic to practice outside in (50-degree weather)," Shimoda said. "We’ve only been practicing indoors in a gym."

The Lions were shut out in two of the four games they played in the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational to start the season.

Shimoda hit a home run in her first game but is off to a slow start, hitting .176 (3-for-17).

"Before we went to Florida that first weekend, we hadn’t seen live pitching outside at all," Shimoda said. "We struggled a little bit offensively that weekend, but this week has been a little warmer and we’ve finally been able to practice outside, so I think we’ll be more ready."

Shimoda hopes to heat up at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, where she last played in the state tournament catching for the Buffanblu, who lost in the opening round.

Columbia has a first-year softball coach in Jennifer Teague, who was hired last July when Kayla Noonan resigned after 12 years in charge.

Before she left, Noonan had set up this year’s schedule, which included a trip to Hawaii so Shimoda would have a chance to play in her home state.

Columbia had to do some fundraising to make the trip happen.

"We have this Columbia Giving Day, where basically alumni and softball fans and family and friends can donate to the program," Shimoda said. "My sophomore year we raised a lot of money and that’s what kind of sparked the idea of coming to Hawaii.

"I’m so appreciative and thankful that they did that so that I could come back and play in front of my family and friends."

Shimoda has started 132 of the 134 games she’s played and is a career .272 hitter with 21 doubles, eight homers and 52 RBIs.

The Lions nearly advanced to the Ivy League championship series last season before falling short during the final weekend of the season, losing three of four games to Pennsylvania.

Playing in a postseason game is the one goal Shimoda says she has set for herself this season.

"Just to win the Ivy League championship," Shimoda said. "That’s all I want."

NOTES

Manewa key to Beavers’ 3-1 finish

Mikela Manewa was in elementary school when she asked Laura Berg for an autograph during the U.S. national softball team’s visit to Hawaii.

The ball Berg signed remains a treasured keepsake for Manewa, who now plays for the four-time Olympian at Oregon State.

Both returned to Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium last week for the Outrigger Resorts Spring Fling Tournament and Manewa (Kapolei ’12) helped OSU to a 3-1 showing before heading back to Corvallis.

"This meant a lot. Having (family) here supporting me was really nice and being home and playing in this atmosphere was nice," Manewa said.

Manewa, the Beavers’ leadoff hitter, went 5-for-16 (.313) in the tournament with family and friends occupying a sizable chunk of the stands.

She ended the weekend by going 2-for-5 with two doubles in an 8-5 win over East Carolina on Saturday. She drilled a double to the right-center gap in her final plate appearance of the tournament.

"I knew this was my last at-bat and I really wanted to get a hit, so I was focusing even harder," she said.

Manewa transferred to OSU this season after two years at College of Southern Nevada and was installed as the starter at first base despite never playing the position prior to this spring.

"She’s like a Swiss army knife," Berg said. "I can throw her in the outfield and she gets the job done. I can throw her at second base and she gets the job done. … Our first baseman went down and got hurt and she stepped up into that role, took it on as a challenge and is doing very well."

Manewa left Hawaii hitting .367 with 24 RBIs, six doubles and two home runs as the Beavers open Pac-12 play Friday at No. 2 Oregon.

"This was my dream to play in the Pac-12," Manewa said. "After going to JC I tried even harder. I tried to bring up my stats so coaches would notice me."

By signing with OSU, Manewa joined senior Kori Nishitomi (Maryknoll ’11) in Corvallis. Nishitomi hit .455 (5-for-11) last week in her return to Hawaii.

"They’re the reason why we’re here," Berg said. "I want their families to be able to come and watch them play and see how hard they’ve worked."

Nishitomi was named to the all-tournament team.

–Jason Kaneshiro, Star-Advertiser

Vega named player of the week

Stanford sophomore Gabriel Vega, a 2012 ‘Iolani graduate, was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation/Molten player of the week on Monday.

Vega more than doubled his season averages with 4.62 kills and 2.25 digs per set in two wins over previously No. 4-ranked Brigham Young over the weekend.

Vega hit a combined .375 in both matches, which were the Cardinal’s first two victories against a ranked team this season.

He led all players with 16 kills and added eight digs in Friday’s win. He came back with a career-high 21 kills and hit .425 with 10 digs on Saturday to record his first double-double. He also had four blocks, including a solo to end the third set.

Corbett is Doane’s first All-American

Doane (Neb.) College junior Kevin Corbett, a 2012 Radford alumnus, made history on Saturday, becoming the first Tigers wrestler to earn NAIA All-America honors.

Corbett went 3-2 at 174 pounds at the NAIA National Championship to finish in seventh place. The top eight finishers in each weight class earn All-America honors.

Corbett won his opening match by pinfall at 5 minutes, 55 seconds before losing to the NAIA No. 3-ranked 174-pounder 3-2.

In his final match Friday, Corbett needed a win to guarantee a top-eight finish. He trailed 4-2 after the second round but scored a pin with 28 seconds remaining to get the win. He then went 1-1 on Saturday, winning 3-2 in the seventh-place match.

Corbett finished the year 25-4 overall. Doane College restarted the wrestling program in 2013 after it was dropped in the mid-1970s.

–Billy Hull, Star-Advertiser

AROUND THE NATION

BASEBALL

Kalei Contrades, Saint Louis ’11: The San Jose State right-hander allowed four hits in eight scoreless innings with two walks and four strikeouts in a 2-0 win over Air Force on Friday.

Turtle Kuhaulua, Kapaa ’14: The San Jose State freshman struck out one of the three batters he faced on Friday to earn his third save in a win over Air Force.

K.J. Harrison, Punahou ’14: The Oregon State first baseman hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning to give Oregon State a 2-1 victory over Fresno State on Friday. Harrison finished 6-for-16 with two doubles, two homers, four runs and four RBIs in the four-game series.

Christian Donahue, ‘Iolani ’14: The Oregon State middle infielder went 2-for-7 with a double, two runs and two RBIs in two starts against the Bulldogs.

Ka’ai Tom, Saint Louis ’12: The Kentucky left fielder finished 4-for-10 with two walks, two runs, seven RBIs and two stolen bases in a three-game sweep of Western Kentucky over the weekend.

Kewby Meyer, Kamehameha ’11: The Nevada left fielder went 5-for-14 with two doubles, three runs, an RBI and two stolen bases to help the Wolf Pack win two of three against UNLV over the weekend.

Beau Branton, Punahou ’14: The Stanford second baseman went

3-for-13 with a double, three walks and three runs scored in a four-game split with Texas over the weekend.

Tim Arakawa, Moanalua ’11: The Oklahoma State second baseman went 3-for-10 with a double, two walks, two RBIs and a run scored as the Cowboys lost two of three to Illinois over the weekend.

Rick Nomura, Punahou ’12: The Arkansas second baseman went

2-for-6 with a run and an RBI in two wins over Loyola Marymount on Friday and Saturday.

Jason Rosen, Punahou ’13: The Portland outfielder hit a pinch double and scored in a 14-2 loss to Oregon State last Wednesday.

Jensen Park, ‘Iolani ’11: The Northern Colorado center fielder went

7-for-15 with a double, homer, three runs, six RBIs and two stolen bases as the Bears lost three of four against North Dakota State over the weekend.

Ryan Yamane, Punahou ’11: The Northern Colorado second baseman went 9-for-14 with two doubles, two walks, five runs, two RBIs and a stolen base vs. North Dakota State.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Nick Demusis, Mililani ’09: The Whittier (Calif.) senior was named to the All-Southern California Interscholastic Athletic Conference first team on Thursday. Demusis averaged a team-high 18.4 points per game and shot 48.6 percent from the field to go along with 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Lia Galdeira, Konawaena ’12: The Washington State junior scored a career-high 34 points and added six rebounds, four assists and two steals to lead the Cougars to a 66-64 win over Oregon in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament on Thursday. Galdeira had 12 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists in a 67-48 loss to Arizona State on Friday in the quarterfinals.

Dawnyelle Awa, Konawaena ’12: The Washington State guard had a team-high six assists against Oregon and four points and four steals against Arizona State.

Kylie Maeda, ‘Iolani ’12: The Brigham Young guard had eight points and five assists to help the fifth-seeded Cougars win the West Coast Conference tournament with a 76-65 victory over San Francisco on Tuesday. Maeda had six assists, four rebounds, two points and two steals in a 61-55 upset of top seed Gonzaga on Monday.

Kiki Robertson, Mid-Pacific ’13: The Alaska Anchorage sophomore guard had 21 points and six assists to lead the No. 1-ranked Seawolves to a 71-58 win over Western Washington in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament championship on Saturday. Robertson, who was the GNAC defensive player of the year, was named most valuable player of the tournament.

Ashley Agcaoili, Maryknoll ’11: The Puget Sound starting guard had eight points and an assist in a 61-56 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Friday. Agcaoili had two points, three rebounds and three assists in a 67-49 loss to George Fox in the second round that ended the Loggers’ season. UPS tied a school record with 24 wins this season.

MEN’S GYMNASTICS

Joshua Yee, Thompson Academy ’12: The Oklahoma junior took second in the vault with a 15.05 in a win over California on Sunday.

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

Jenna Frowein, Punahou ’12: The Stanford junior scored a 9.775 in the floor exercise in Friday’s loss to UCLA.

Tiana Montell, St. Joseph’s ’11: The UC Davis senior finished in fourth place in the all-around with a career-best score of 39.150 in a loss to California on Sunday. Montell scored a 9.875 in vault, a 9.750 in bars, a 9.7 in beam and a 9.825 in the floor.

Tracie Villanueva, Moanalua ’13: The Seattle Pacific sophomore scored a 9.775 in bars and a 9.150 in beam in Sunday’s quad meet.

Kristi Hayashida, Home School ’13: The SPU sophomore scored a 9.725 in beam and a 9.625 in floor on Sunday.

SOFTBALL

Kacie Oshiro, Mililani ’13: The East Carolina right fielder went 2-for-3 with an RBI in a 4-0 win over Utah on Friday in the Pirates’ only win in the Hawaii Spring Fling Tournament.

Ateisha Norton, Kamehameha ’14: The Lewis & Clark third baseman went 7-for-12 with a triple, four runs and three RBIs to help the Pioneers win three of four against Puget Sound over the weekend.

Brennalyn Nakamura, Lahainaluna ’12: The New Mexico State second baseman started three games in the NMSU Round Robin and finished

8-for-12 with a double, two homers, four runs scored and nine RBIs in three wins.

Haley Nakamura, Lahainaluna ’13: The New Mexico State sophomore went 3-for-8 with a walk and four runs in the NMSU Round Robin.

Taylor Shimizu, Baldwin ’11: The Tennessee State outfielder went

5-for-12 with a double, triple, four runs and five RBIs to help the Tigers finish 3-2 in the Tiny Laster Classic over the weekend.

Kristi Belshe, Kalani ’11: The Texas Tech catcher went 4-for-11 with a double, seven walks, two runs and two RBIs to help the Red Raiders finish 3-2 in the Texas Tech Invitational.

Mysha Sataraka, Punahou ’12: The UCLA third baseman finished 3-for-7 with a double, a homer, five walks, two runs and three RBIs in six wins in the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament.

Kimberlee Souza, ‘Iolani ’11: The Washington catcher went 4-for-8 with six walks, two runs and two RBIs in six wins in the Husky Classic over the weekend.

MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

Daniel Pietsch, Seabury Hall ’14: The Emory University freshman was named the University Athletic Association Indoor Track and Field rookie of the year on Thursday. Pietsch won the UAA title in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.36 seconds and placed sixth in the 200 meters with a mark of 24.37 seconds.

Justin Higa, ‘Iolani ’11: The Puget Sound senior finished in third place in the men’s 10,000-meter race with a time of 32 minutes, 28.27 seconds in a Quad Meet on Saturday.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Josh Taylor, Punahou ’11: The Pepperdine outside hitter had seven kills, four block assists, four digs and an ace in a four-set loss to Hawaii on Friday and totaled 17 kills, seven digs and six block assists while hitting .306 in a five-set loss to the Rainbow Warriors on Sunday.

Evan Enriques, Kamehameha-Hawaii ’14: The Stanford freshman combined for 21 digs and six assists in four-set wins over Brigham Young on Friday and Saturday.

Jaylen Reyes, Kamehameha ’10: The Brigham Young senior combined for 26 digs and three assists in two matches against Stanford, including a team-high 18 digs in Saturday’s loss.

Micah Christenson, Kamehameha ’11: The Southern California setter had a match-high 38 assists, five digs, three aces and a kill in a sweep of UC San Diego last Wednesday.

Luke Motoyama, Pearl City ’13: The Holy Names sophomore had 18 digs and three assists in three matches in the Coker Invitational on Saturday and Sunday.

Chayse Nobriga-Antonio, Waipahu ’13: The Holy Names sophomore had 26 assists, four digs and a kill as the Hawks finished 0-3 in the Coker Invitational.

John Mayer, Maryknoll ’13: The Holy Names middle blocker had 10 kills, five block assists, two digs, one solo block and one ace in the Coker Invitational.

Kaili Schumacher-Lagundino, Kauai ’12: The Holy Names junior had 10 digs, an assist and a kill in the Coker Invitational.

Bryson-Joey Morn, Farrington ’10: The Holy Names senior had 14 digs in the Coker Invitational.

WOMEN’S WATER POLO

Hi’ipoi Lee, Kamehameha ’14: The Occidental (Calif.) freshman had three goals in a 15-8 loss to George Washington on Saturday and scored one goal each in an 11-10 loss to Cal Lutheran on Saturday and a 24-5 win over Caltech on Sunday.

Kelly Fitzgerald, Kamehameha-Hawaii ’14: The Occidental (Calif.) goalkeeper made nine saves in the win over Caltech.

MEN’S WRESTLING

David Terao, Mid-Pacific ’11: The American University junior, ranked No. 17 nationally, finished in second place at 125 pounds at the EIWA Championships on Saturday.

Josh Terao, Mid-Pacific ’14: The American University freshman went 3-3 to finish in sixth place at 133 pounds at the EIWA Championships.

Zack Hernandez, Punahou ’12: The Columbia University junior finished in eighth place with a 2-3 record at 184 pounds at the EIWA Championships.

Zen Ikehara, Kamehameha ’14: The Air Force freshman went 2-2 at 184 pounds to finish in fourth place at the NCAA West Regional/Western Wrestling Conference Championships on Saturday.

Compiled by the Star-Advertiser’s Billy Hull. To submit an athlete for publication, email bhull@staradvertiser.com.