Honolulu’s Clarissa Chun was one of three individuals to receive the National Wrestling Coaches Association’s Trailblazer Award, honoring those who have made contributions to women’s college wrestling.
Chun, a 1998 state champion wrestler at Roosevelt, competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. She also won a gold medal at the 2008 World Championships in Tokyo.
Chun currently is the head coach of the University of Iowa women’s wrestling team. She previously served as an assistant coach for the USA Wrestling women’s national team from 2017 to 2021.
In 2022, Chun was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.
The other Trailblazer Award winners are Gary Abbott and Ashley Flavin.
Hawaii Bowl returns to Christmas Eve
The Hawaii Bowl will return to its traditional Christmas Eve time slot in 2024.
The game, which features teams from the Mountain West and Conference USA, will be held at UH’s Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex at 3 p.m.
Last year’s game between Coastal Carolina and San Jose State was played on Dec. 23, just the fifth time since the bowl was created in 2002 it wasn’t held on Dec. 24.
UH Hilo claims PacWest Hawaii Challenge
Hawaii Hilo claimed the PacWest Hawaii Challenge, a competition based on athletic achievement among the three NCAA Division II schools in Hawaii.
Hawaii Hilo scored 24 points, Hawaii Pacific had 21 and Chaminade posted 16 during the 2023-24 academic term. The Challenge is comprised of 10 sports that the three schools compete in with a first-place PacWest finish being awarded three points, runner-up two and third-place one.
The Vulcans won conference titles in women’s soccer, both men’s and women’s basketball, men’s golf and softball.
