Shigezawa leads Mid-Pacific Open

Bradley Shigezawa maintained his perch atop the Mid-Pacific Open leaderboard after posting a 1-over 73 on Saturday to establish a four-stroke lead at 9 under at the Mid-Pacific Country Club in Lanikai.

Entering Sunday’s final round, defending champion Nick Mason (5 under) poses the biggest threat to wrangling the title from Shigezawa. Garrett Okamura stands alone in third place (1-under), while Cory Oride, Eric Meichtry and TJ Kua are tied for fourth at 2 over.

Dean Wilson was the only golfer to shoot an sub-par round on Saturday (1-under 71) and currently stands 12 shots back of Shigezawa.

BYU-Hawaii continues tennis dominance

The BYU-Hawaii women’s tennis team won its ninth straight PacWest championship on Saturday in Surprise, Ariz., and continued its unblemished streak as the lone champion since the conference sanctioned the sport.

The top-seeded Seasiders beat No. 3 Academy of Art 5-1 in the finals. The Seasiders earned victories at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles and BYUH’s top three singles players—all of whom are ranked in the top 10 nationally — overpowered the competition. Dallas Zhang and Marietta Tuionetoa won at the No. 1 and No. 3 pairings by identical 6-1, 6-0 margins, while Min Liu finished off the match with a victory in the No. 2 matchup, 6-0, 6-2.

Zhang was named the tournament MVP for the second consecutive season, while Tuionetoa received the tournament’s Sportsmanship Award.

In the third-place match, Hawaii Pacific downed Cal State L.A. 5-1. The Sharks swept through doubles play and rode singles wins by Nicole Hoynaski (6-3, 6-1) and Lorena Gheorghe (6-2, 6-2) to secure the victory.

» The HPU men won their third consecutive PacWest championship as the top-ranked Sharks swept No. 11 Azusa Pacific 5-0.

Thibaud Berland and Yann Renault highlighted HPU’s sweep of doubles play as the nation’s fifth-ranked duo topped No. 15 Jan Meyer and Gary Yam 8-4 by winning five straight games. HPU’s Jamue Martinez-Vich picked up the first singles win for the Sharks in the No. 3 matchup, 6-1, 6-2, and teammate Clemens Graute clinched the title with a win at No. 5, 6-2, 6-3.

BYU-Hawaii won the third-place match by a 5-2 margin over Point Loma. Ibrahim Karmadzhe won for the Seasiders at No. 3 singles, 6-2, 6-2, and Dai Peng finished off the match at the No. 6 pairing, 6-4, 6-4.

HPU softball splits pair on road

The Hawaii Pacific softball team fell 3-2 to Notre Dame de Namur in the opener of a PacWest doubleheader on Saturday but rebounded to claim the second contest 8-7 in Belmont, Calif.

The Sharks (23-19, 13-13 PacWest) rallied in the fifth frame of the first game when Sharae Esprecion doubled home Keila Elderts for HPU’s first run. Dorian Acierto then doubled to plate Esprecion. The Argonauts (20-27, 14-12) would hold onto the one-run lead, however, as Sharks pitcher Alexa McCoin (6-4) took the loss despite surrendering a lone earned run.

HPU used a seventh-inning rally in the second game as Courtney Ahlo came through with a bases-clearing double to give the visiting squad the lead, 6-4. Elderts and Esprecion then followed with RBI doubles of their own to put the Sharks ahead 8-4. Kristen Caskey (12-13) got the win, going the distance and striking out six while putting an end to NDNU’s three-run rally in the home half of the seventh to end the game.

» Hawaii Hilo notched a pair of victories against visiting Chaminade, 3-1 and 11-1, on Saturday in Hilo.

The Vulcans (30-16, 19-10) scored all 11 of their runs in the second tilt within the first three innings, as Shelby Vickers and Melanie Morelos homered and drove in five and three runs, respectively. Morelos also drove in two runs in the first game, while pitcher Danielle Wilson (13-8) earned victories in both contests.

The Silverswords (10-36, 9-21) were led at the plate by Ashley Phelps and Jenn Betian, who posted three hits apiece over both games.

» BYU-Hawaii dropped a softball doubleheader to Holy Names, 11-4 and 7-3, on Saturday at Thrasher Park in San Leandro, Calif.

The Seasiders (10-30, 6-24) were led by Lizabelle Talataina’s fourth home run of the week, while Tiffany Smith hit her first career home run in the opening game.

Vulcans, Sharks split baseball double dip

The UH Hilo and Hawaii Pacific baseball teams split a doubleheader, with the home squad winning the opener 4-3 and dropping the rematch 2-1 in Hilo on Saturday.

UH Hilo (8-33, 4-24 PacWest) got two hits and two RBIs apiece from Keenan Nishioka and Sean Nearhoof in the opening-game victory.

HPU (21-20, 13-15) answered when catcher Steven Camberos singled to score James Carraway in the top of the seventh inning as the Sharks established the eventual one-run winning margin.

Ex-NFL RB Faaola to speak at QB Club

University of Hawaii and Farrington High product Nu‘u Faaola will speak at the Honolulu Quarterback Club luncheon on Monday.

Faaola played professionally for the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, primarily on special teams, from 1986 to 1989. He gained notoriety after dating former Miss America Carolyn Sapp and he starred in the 1991 television movie portraying their lives.

The $15 luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. at Maple Garden restaurant and the program starts at noon.