Hardin agrees to deal with Bears

Former Kamehameha athlete Brandon Hardin, a third-round draft pick by the Chicago Bears, agreed to a four-year deal on Tuesday. Financial terms were not announced.

The 6-foot-3, 217-pound Hardin, who missed the entire 2011 season with Oregon State because of a shoulder injury, played cornerback in college, but will be moved to safety in the NFL.

Maekawa wins U.S. Open local qualifier

Former state high school champion Sean Maekawa, from Paauilo, won the lone spot available at Tuesday’s U.S. Open local qualifier at The Club at Kukuiula in Koloa. Maekawa is a University of Oregon graduate.

Maekawa won a three-way playoff with Honolulu’s Matthew Pakkala and Princeville’s Bronzen Winters, who got the first alternate spot. All three shot even-par 72.

Maekawa advances to one of 11 36-hole sectional qualifiers June 4. At least one player from each advances to the U.S. Open, June 14-17 at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Rainbow Wahine slip in softball polls

The University of Hawaii softball team will enter the NCAA regionals ranked 13th and 16th in the national polls.

The Rainbow Wahine (44-7) arrived in Tucson, Ariz., on Tuesday and open play in the NCAA tournament Friday against Notre Dame (38-14). They fell two spots to No. 13 in the final USA Today/NFCA coaches poll of the regular season and dropped three places to No. 16 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25.

Arizona, the regional host, is ranked 17th by the NFCA poll and 15th by USA Softball.

UH remained at No. 20 in the NCAA RPI after going 1-2 in the Western Athletic Conference tournament last week. Arizona (35-17) closed the regular season at No. 11. Notre Dame is No. 30 and North Dakota State (37-20), which faces Arizona on Friday, is No. 76.

The UH-Notre Dame game is set for 11:30 a.m. Hawaii time Friday and will be televised on ESPNU and broadcast on radio on KKEA, 1420-AM.

Hawaii’s Florence makes quarterfinals

Hawaii surfer John John Florence won two heats in 4- to 6-foot waves on Tuesday to make the quarterfinals of the Billabong Rio Pro in Rio de Janeiro.

Florence beat Miguel Pupo of Brazil in the third round and topped two surfers from Australia — Taj Burrow and Julian Wilson — in the fourth round.

Florence will meet Wilson, who went on to win a fifth-round heat, in the quarters of the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour event today, surf permitting.

BYUH tennis players take national honors

Two Brigham Young-Hawaii tennis players and an assistant coach received national awards Tuesday night at the banquet preceding their appearance today in the NCAA Division II national tournament in Louisville, Ky.

Yuan Jia earned the national senior player of the year honor and Sherry Liu received the national rookie of the year award.

Also, Rong Ma of the Seasiders was named the West Region assistant coach of the year.

Top-ranked BYUH opens the tournament today against Nebraska-Kearney.