Cassy Isagawa insists it had nothing to do with her college of choosing.

As it turned out, the neon yellow ball she used over her final two years of high school was quite the indicator of things to come.

Her golf ball fits right in with the colorful array of jerseys Isagawa wears as a member of the Oregon women’s golf team.

Isagawa’s decision to attend Oregon had more to do with her visit, the facilities and the relationship she established with the coaching staff, but she admitted the attire didn’t hurt either.

"I get excited when we get new stuff, whether it’s uniforms or shoes or shirts, or hats," Isagawa said. "Honestly, I am a little biased, but we have a pretty awesome wardrobe. We have these dark grey tops lined with the color of my golf ball. It’s hard to explain, but it’s kind of awesome knowing that before I visited Oregon, I was already playing with a yellow golf ball."

For three years, things couldn’t have gone better for the three-time All-Pac-12 honoree, who has taken the women’s golf program to new heights.

In her first three seasons at Oregon, Isagawa recorded the three lowest season scoring averages in school history and won two events.

She has been ranked in the top 15 in the country and helped the Ducks advance to the NCAA Championships as a sophomore.

Entering her senior year, the challenge was to get even better. Improve on the school-record scoring marks, win more tournaments, lead the Ducks to greater heights.

Eventually, it all became too much.

Isagawa struggled out of the gate and watched her scoring average jump almost four full strokes.

She finished outside of the top 30 in three straight events and shot an 82 during the Stanford Intercollegiate, which ended with her in a tie for 72nd place.

A year prior, she never shot worse than 73 at the same course.

"I think I really did put too much pressure on myself in the fall season to come out and finish with a bang," Isagawa said. "My senior year I wanted to show everyone, and myself, I may have played really well in the first three years, but I can finish off even better in my last year."

Instead, she was in the middle of the first real slump of her career. Unsure of what to do, she tried to make a swing change that only made things worse.

The low point came after the Stanford tournament, when the team was preparing for the Nanea Pac-12 Preview held on the Big Island.

It was a chance for Isagawa to come home and try to duplicate her third-place finish from 2013.

Instead, for the first time in her four-year career, Isagawa was told by her coach that she would not be one of the five Ducks to compete in the event, and was held back.

"The fact that I wasn’t coming home to Hawaii and I played really well at Nanea last year and that it was the first time I have ever missed an event at Oregon — it was really heartbreaking," Isagawa said. "I thought it was the right decision. I was going through a slump and I ended up changing my swing when I shouldn’t have and after that I lost confidence and lost the trust in myself instead of grinding out there and focusing on getting the ball in the hole rather than figuring out my swing."

Things got even worse in November when Isagawa dislocated her left shoulder working out. But it also gave her time to sit back and rethink everything and come back fresh in the spring.

She started with a fourth-place finish at the Peg Barnard Invitational in February and posted a top-15 result in the Bay Area Intercollegiate last week.

Now she has a chance to come home and perform well on a course she’s accustomed to playing.

The Anuenue Spring Break Classic starting Monday is held on The Bay Course at Kapalua on Maui.

"I would say that for junior golf I play there at least one, two or three times a year, and that’s plenty considering I don’t live on that side of the island," said Isagawa, who graduated from Baldwin. "I shot a career low at that course this past summer, which was a 64, so I do have good memories of that course. Really excited to go back and play with this team because we have so much potential."

The Ducks are ranked 27th in the country and have finished first once and runner-up twice in three spring tournaments so far.

If she gets back to the way she’s played over her first three seasons, Isagawa knows she could be the leader the Ducks need to make it back to the NCAA Championships.

"I’m excited with these big tournaments coming up," she said. "We made it to nationals with a team (in 2013) that I never thought would have made it, so it makes me more excited with the potential we have now. I know this team can make it to nationals and not just make it, but maybe win it."

NOTES

Tom hits for the cycle

Kentucky junior outfielder Ka‘ai Tom became the second Wildcat ever to hit for the cycle when he finished 4-for-5 with a career-high four runs and two RBIs in a 9-1 win over Cincinnati on March 11.

Tom, a 2012 Saint Louis graduate, completed the cycle in the eighth inning to join Jeff Abbott as the only Wildcats to accomplish the feat. Abbott did it in 1994.

Tom was named to the All-SEC first team as a sophomore after transferring from Fort Scott Community College, where he played one season. This season, he’s hitting .389 (28-for-72) in 19 games with six doubles and 18 runs scored. The home run was his first of the season.

Maeda leads BYU to 14th seed

Brigham Young received a 14 seed after winning the West Coast Conference tournament as a fifth seed and will play No. 3 seed Louisville in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday at 10 a.m. on ESPN2.

The Cougars’ starting point guard is junior Kylie Maeda, a 2012 ‘Iolani graduate, who leads the team with 4.3 assists per game.

Maeda has started all 32 games this season and is scoring 6.4 points per game while ranking second on the team with 38 steals. Maeda is a 39.4 percent (67-for-170) shooter from 3-point range and is 82.7 percent (53-for-62) from the free-throw line. Last season, BYU made it to the Sweet 16 as the No. 12 seed before losing to eventual national champion Connecticut.

Terao back in NCAA championships

American University junior David Terao will make his third appearance in the NCAA wrestling championships in as many seasons.

Terao, a 2011 Mid-Pacific graduate, finished runner-up at the EIWA Championships and will open in the 125-pound bracket against Northern Iowa’s Dylan Peters, who is seeded ninth, on Thursday in St. Louis, Mo.

Terao is unseeded in the tournament but ranked 16th overall in his weight class by InterMat. He brings a 37-5 overall record into the tournament and has already set the Eagles’ single-season record for total wins.

Poentis honored in Liberty League

New York University freshman Alyssa Poentis was named the Liberty League performer of the week in women’s golf on Monday.

Poentis, a 2014 Punahou graduate, began the week with a third-place finish at the inaugural University Athletic Association Women’s Golf Championship on March 9. Poentis led the Violets with a 36-hole score of 9-over 153 to earn first-team All-UAA and UAA rookie of the year honors.

She then finished in a tie for sixth place out of 116 golfers at the Jekyll Island Women’s Collegiate Invitational that concluded on Sunday.

Poentis again led the Violets with a 54-hole score of 19-over 235 to break the 54-hole program record of 241. Her performance helped NYU finish second overall in the tournament.

Poentis has won the award twice this season.

AROUND THE NATION

BASEBALL

Sheldon Lee, ‘Iolani ’10: The San Francisco left-hander retired all six batters he faced over the final two innings and struck out two to earn the win in a 3-1 victory over No. 24 California on Tuesday. Lee has earned midweek victories over ranked teams in two consecutive weeks. He struck out seven in 5 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed only three this in a 4-1 win over No. 10 Oregon a week earlier.

Kalei Contrades, Saint Louis ’11: The San Jose State right-hander dominated UC Irvine over 8 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and one walk with three strikeouts in a 106-pitch effort that gave the Spartans a 4-0 win on Friday.

Turtle Kuhaulua, Kapaa ’14: The San Jose State freshman got the final out to earn the save in Friday’s win and finished 3-for-11 with a double and an RBI in three games against the Anteaters.

Tim Arakawa, Moanalua ’11: The Oklahoma State infielder tripled and drove in four runs in a three-game sweep of Grand Canyon over the weekend.

Travis Garcia-Perreira, Mid-Pacific ’12: The Grand Canyon left-hander allowed one hit over 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief with one walk and a strikeout in an 8-0 loss to Oklahoma State on Sunday.

Rick Nomura, Punahou ’12: The Arkansas second baseman doubled, homered and scored twice in three losses to No. 5 Vanderbilt over the weekend.

Kewby Meyer, Kamehameha ’11: The Nevada senior went 3-for-12 with three RBIs as the Wolf Pack won two of three against New Mexico over the weekend.

Mark Karaviotis, Maui ’13: The Oregon shortstop went 3-for-9 with a double and two RBIs as the 10th-ranked Ducks lost two of three against California over the weekend.

Christian Donahue, ‘Iolani ’14: The Oregon State second baseman went 3-for-9 with two runs scored in losing two of three to No. 17 Arizona State over the weekend.

K.J. Harrison, Punahou ’14: The Oregon State first baseman went 3-for-12 with a run scored against the Sun Devils.

Kolten Yamaguchi, Konawaena ’11: The Pepperdine senior went 4-for-12 with a run and an RBI as the Waves dropped two of three against Brigham Young over the weekend.

Jensen Park, ‘Iolani ’11: The Northern Colorado centerfielder went 3-for-12 with two triples and three runs scored in three losses to Saint Louis over the weekend.

Ryan Yamane, Punahou ’11: The Northern Colorado second baseman went 3-for-10 with a double, two walks and a run scored against Saint Louis.

Raymond Pedrina, Campbell ’13: The Lewis & Clark State center fielder went 3-for-6 with a homer and five RBIs in three wins over Oregon Institute of Technology over the weekend.

Chadwick Kaalekahi, Campbell ’12: The Lewis & Clark State catcher played in two games against Oregon Institute of Technology and went 3-for-6 with a double and an RBI.

Landry Kiyabu, Hawaii Baptist ’11: The Cal Lutheran right-hander earned a two-inning save, allowing one run on two hits with four strikeouts in a 7-6 win over Concordia (Wis.) on Thursday in the Kingsmen’s only win of the Tucson Invitational.

Scott Peters, Punahou ’11: The Cal Lutheran senior threw one scoreless inning in Thursday’s win and allowed three runs on 10 hits with no walks and a strikeout in a 7-5 loss in 11 innings to Linfield (Ore.) on Saturday.

Ryan McMonigle, Kailua ’11: The Concordia (Ore.) right-hander struck out seven in 6 2/3 innings but allowed six earned runs on seven hits with three walks in a 7-2 loss to Menlo (Calif.) on Sunday.

MEN’S GOLF

John Oda, Moanalua ’14: The UNLV freshman shot a final-round 8-under 64 on Tuesday to finish in second place at 18 under at the Jackrabbit Invitational.

Michael Fan, Kamehameha ’11: The Air Force junior shot a season-low 67 to finish in a tie for 22nd at 1-under 215 in the Jackrabbit Invitational.

WOMEN’S GOLF

Sydney Maluenda, Kapolei ’13: The George Fox (Ore.) University sophomore won individual medalist honors at the George Fox Westbrook Invitational on Sunday, closing with a 2-under 69 to win by two shots. Maluenda finished the 36-hole tournament at 6 under after shooting a 67 on Saturday.

Loreece Magsanide, Campbell ’11: The George Fox senior finished in a tie for ninth place at 7 over in the George Fox Westbrook Invitational. Magsanide shot rounds of 76 and 73.

Taylor Viquelia, Kauai ’13: The Southern Utah sophomore shot her best round of the tournament by seven strokes on Tuesday, firing a 1-under 71 to finish in a tie for 34th place at 13-over 229 at the BYU at Entrada Classic.

Monique Ishikawa, Kalaheo ’12: The Columbia (N.Y.) University junior finished in a tie for 35th place at 17-over-230 after closing with a 77 on Sunday at the 3M Jaguar Intercollegiate.

Kelli Oride, Kauai ’11: The Notre Dame senior finished in a tie for 40th place at 17-over 233 after shooting a final round 80 on Sunday as the Fighting Irish finished second at the fourth annual Clover Cup in Mesa, Ariz.

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

Tiana Montell, St. Joseph’s ’11: The UC Davis senior matched a career-high score of 9.90 on the vault to win the event and tied for third in the

all-around with a 39.250 in Friday’s win over Washington. Montell also tied for second in the floor exercise with a 9.90 and scored a 9.675 on bars and a 9.775 on beam.

Kristi Hayashida, Home School ’13: The Seattle Pacific sophomore scored a 9.725 in the floor exercise and a 9.625 on the beam in Saturday’s fourth-place finish in a quad meet against Oregon State, San Jose State and Lindenwood.

Tracie Villanueva, Moanalua ’13: The SPU sophomore scored a 9.70 on bars and a 9.10 on beam on Saturday.

MEN’S GYMNASTICS

Joshua Yee, Thompson Academy ’12: The Oklahoma junior finished in third place on the vault with a score of 15.100 in a win over Ohio State on Sunday.

SOFTBALL

Mysha Sataraka, Punahou ’12: The UCLA third baseman singled, walked twice and scored the only run in a 1-0 victory over Utah in the series opener on Friday.

Krystin Kubo, Leilehua ’12: The Weber State first baseman went 3-for-3 with four RBIs to lead the Wildcats to an 8-0 win over

UC Riverside in the second game of a doubleheader on March 11.

Cyanne Fernandez, Moanalua ’14: The Texas A&M-Commerce freshman hit a two-run homer in an 8-0 win over Eastern New Mexico on Saturday.

Kimberly Dilda, Kaiser ’14: The La Verne freshman had a pinch-hit RBI double in a 7-1 win over Ithaca on March 9.

MEN’S TENNIS

James Rivers, Pacific Buddhist Academy ’11: The Whitman (Wash.) senior won 8-4 at No. 1 doubles in a 5-4 loss to Kenyon College on Saturday.

Gunnar Lee, St. Joseph’s ’12: The Willamette (Ore.) junior won at No. 3 singles and lost in a tiebreak at No. 3 doubles in a 6-3 win over Linfield (Ore.) on Saturday.

Jacob Blaisdell, Punahou ’14: The Willamette (Ore.) freshman won at No. 5 singles and lost at No. 1 doubles against Linfield (Ore.).

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Karly Pang, Hawaii Baptist ’12: The Marist (N.Y.) junior was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference women’s tennis player of the week last Wednesday. Pang played a role in both of the Red Foxes’ points in a 5-2 loss to Navy, winning in straight sets in No. 1 singles and pulling out an 8-6 victory in No. 1 doubles.

Alyssa Tobita, Mililani ’14: The Oregon freshman went 2-0 over the weekend at No. 2 singles and 1-1 at No. 1 doubles as the Ducks defeated Utah State 5-2 on Friday but lost to Brigham Young 4-3 on Saturday.

Bobbi Oshiro, ‘Iolani ’12: The Boise State junior won a three-set tiebreaker at No. 3 singles and lost in a tiebreaker at No. 1 doubles in a 4-3 loss to Portland on Saturday.

Kristen Poei, ‘Iolani ’13: The Cal State Northridge sophomore won in straight sets at No. 5 singles but lost 8-5 at No. 2 doubles in a 4-3 defeat to UC Santa Barbara on Friday.

Kalia Nip, Lahainaluna ’11: The Linfield (Ore.) senior was victorious at No. 2 doubles in an 8-1 win over Willamette (Ore.) on Saturday.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Keenan Meyer, Saint Louis ’13: The Hope International outside hitter had 10 kills, six digs, three aces and a block assist in losses to Hawaii on Friday and Saturday.

Matt Heirakuji, Kamehameha ’11: The Hope International libero had 13 digs and four assists in two matches versus Hawaii.

John Eddins, King Kekaulike ’12: The Stevens Institute of Technology setter had 26 assists, three block assists, one solo block and a kill in a four-set win over Stevenson on Saturday.

Luke Motoyama, Pearl City ’13: The Holy Names libero had a career-high 18 digs and two assists in a five-set loss to North Greenville last Tuesday.

John Mayer, Maryknoll ’13: The Holy Names middle blocker had seven kills, two block assists and two digs against North Greenville.

Bryson-Jory Morn, Farrington ’10: The Holy Names senior had six digs against North Greenville.

MEN’S WRESTLING

Patrick Sheehan, Punahou ’11: The New York University senior finished in seventh place at 184 pounds to earn All-America honors at the NCAA Division III Championships in Hershey, Pa., on Saturday. Sheehan finished his senior season 26-5.

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