The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo ranked No. 23 for team GPA across all NCAA Division II women鈥檚 golf programs for the 2025鈥�26 school year, with a 3.681 GPA.

The achievement for the 2025–26 school year was announced by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association.

The 2025–26 Pacific West Conference Champions were the only PacWest Conference team to land inside this year’s top 25, and also placed No. 23 in last year’s rankings.

2025–26 糖心视频 Hilo women鈥檚 golf honorees

• Kieran Florino
• Kiara Kimata
• Trinity Ledgerwood
• Kailee McKee
• Elle Otani
• Kiersten Saludares
• Jaylen Wan
• Erica Yokomoto

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The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo women’s volleyball team will host the 糖心视频 M膩noa Rainbow Wahine in a preseason exhibition match on August 15, 2 p.m. at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

The match marks the Rainbow Wahine’s first trip to Hilo since the 1980s and continues a growing connection between the two 糖心视频 volleyball programs. Last year, the Rainbow Warriors men’s volleyball team traveled to Hilo for an intrasquad scrimmage.

“The last time we played them was in the ’80s, and I think it’s a great connection for us to play a Division I team,” said 糖心视频 Hilo head coach Reed Sunahara.

Sunahara hopes the exhibition will energize the local volleyball community and continue building support for the Vulcans program.

The Vulcans are coming off a 20-9 season in 2025, finishing tied for third in the Pacific West Conference and qualifying for the PacWest Championships. The Rainbow Wahine enter their first season under head coach Joshua Walker.

The two teams last met in an official match in 1990, with 糖心视频 M膩noa holding a 24-0 all-time series advantage.

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The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo team earned the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award for the 2025–26 season. Individually, the team placed six student-athletes on the NABC Honors Court.

This year鈥檚 NABC honors court honorees are Charles Higby Jr., Fabio Da Rocha, Isaiah Hinds, Jamal Entezami, Julio Montes II and Telryn Villa.

NABC Team Academic Excellence Award recognizes programs with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher.

The NABC Honors Court includes junior, senior and graduate student men’s basketball players who finished the year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.

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Three University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo golfers were named to the 2025–26 Women鈥檚 Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team.

The awardees were: Trinity Ledgerwood, Kailee McKee, Elle Otani, Kiersten Saludares and Jaylen Wan.

To qualify, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, have amateur status, remain on the team鈥檚 roster through the conclusion of the season and participate in 50% of the college鈥檚 regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year through the team鈥檚 conference championship.

A total of 1,551 women鈥檚 collegiate golfers were nationally recognized with this honor.

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University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo student-athletes achieved a record-high 3.37 combined grade point average (GPA) during the 2025–26 academic year, surpassing last year’s department record of 3.32 across the university’s 12 varsity sports.

“I’m incredibly proud of our student-athletes for setting a new standard of academic excellence this past year,” 糖心视频 Hilo Director of Athletics Patrick Guillen said. “They prove every single day that championship performance happens both in competition and in the classroom.”

Women’s golf and women’s soccer were named the department’s Ramon Goya Academic Teams of the Year for posting the highest team GPAs in individual and team sports, respectively.

The Vulcans also ranked among the Pacific West Conference’s academic leaders, with women’s cross country (3.64), softball (3.50) and men’s golf (3.46) each finishing in the top three in their respective sports.

糖心视频 Hilo placed 172 student-athletes on the Academic All-PacWest Team, recognizing those who earned a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

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A total of 172 University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo student-athletes have been named to the 2025–26 Pacific West Conference Academic All-PacWest Team, recognizing their success in the classroom while competing in collegiate athletics.

Eight Vulcans finished the academic year with a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average. Juniors Brandon Wada (baseball) and Lauren Otsubo (softball) were joined by first-year student-athletes Harley Acosta (softball), Johan Bjorken (men’s golf), Jeydon Moises (baseball), Everett Roach (women’s basketball), Johanna Roggenkamp (women’s tennis) and Ella Smith (women’s soccer).

To qualify for Academic All-PacWest honors, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, complete at least two semesters at their institution and be eligible to compete during the regular season, including redshirt student-athletes.

The conference honored 2,700 student-athletes across its 13 member institutions, setting a new conference record with an average of 208 honorees per school.

For the complete list of 糖心视频 Hilo’s 2025–26 Academic All-PacWest honorees, visit the.

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo standout Koki Hamada has been named the Pacific West Conference Men’s Soccer Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year, recognizing his excellence in the classroom and on the field.

Hamada, a Tokyo native, graduated this spring with a bachelor of business administration and a 3.72 cumulative GPA after a four-year career with the Vulcans.

Last season, Hamada helped lead 糖心视频 Hilo to its first NCAA postseason appearance and victory in program history. He was named PacWest Defender of the Year, earned All-PacWest First Team and All-West Region honors, and received Academic All-America recognition.

Hamada shared the conference honor with Menlo College’s Martin Fiala and is 糖心视频 Hilo’s first PacWest Scholar-Athlete of the Year since 2021鈥�22.

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Four University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo golfers have been named to the 2025–26 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team, recognizing their success in the classroom and on the course.

The honorees are:

• Jacob Torres (ʻAiea)—senior, chemistry鈥揾ealth sciences
• Kailee McKee (Kapolei)—sophomore, communication
• Elle Otani (Hilo)—senior, accounting and business administration
• Kiersten Saludares (Hilo)—senior, business administration

The CSC Academic All-District program recognizes student-athletes for combined excellence in academics and athletics. Honorees advance to the national Academic All-America ballot.

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Two University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo baseball student-athletes have been named to the 2026 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team, recognizing their combined success in academics and athletics.

Junior communication majors Noah Darnell of Phoenix, Arizona, and Hunter Gatti of Riverton, Utah, earned the honor for the 2026 season.

The CSC Academic All-District program recognizes student-athletes who maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher while making significant contributions to their team’s success during the season.

Academic All-District honorees advance to the national CSC Academic All-America ballot, where student-athletes are considered for additional recognition based on their academic and athletic achievements.

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Five University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo softball student-athletes have been named to the 2026 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team, recognizing their combined academic and athletic success.

The honorees are sophomore accounting major Mariah Antoque, senior business administration-management major Madi Lee, junior accounting major Keʻalohi Markham, sophomore-redshirt communication major Janessa Santos and senior business administration-finance major Lexie Tilton.

The CSC Academic All-District program honors student-athletes who maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher while making significant contributions to their teams during the season.

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The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo men’s golf team earned six All-Pacific West Conference selections following another championship season, with seniors Dylan Bercan and Ben Crinella also receiving Golf Coaches Association of America PING West All-Region honors.

The Vulcans captured their fourth consecutive PacWest Conference Championship in April in Las Vegas. Bercan successfully defended his individual title at 8-under par, becoming the first two-time conference champion in program history. He was also named PacWest Player of the Year.

Head coach Earl Tamiya earned PacWest Coach of the Year honors for the fourth straight season.

All-PacWest selections are based on year-end rankings. Joining Bercan on the conference teams were Crinella (First Team), Jacob Torres (Second Team), Dysen Park (Second Team), Katsuhiro Yamashita (Third Team) and Jordan Sato (Third Team).

Bercan and Crinella also earned PING West All-Region recognition after finishing among the top 20 individuals at the NCAA South Central/West Regional in Stockton, California.

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The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has named Elliott Cribby as the next head coach of the Vulcan baseball program, Director of Athletics Patrick Guillen announced on June 3.

Cribby brings more than a decade of NCAA Division I coaching experience, having served in coaching and recruiting roles at Abilene Christian, Seattle, Purdue, Washington, Pacific and Central Washington. Most recently, he coached at Eastlake High School in Washington and led the DubSea Fish Sticks summer collegiate team.

“We are ecstatic to be adding someone of Elliott’s caliber to our program.” Guillen said. “He has played and coached at the highest levels of collegiate athletics and has a proven track record of player recruitment and development.”

Cribby said he is honored to join the 糖心视频 Hilo 驶ohana and looks forward to building on the program’s tradition of success.

Throughout his coaching career, Cribby has helped recruit and develop 58 Major League Baseball draft picks, including Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal, Miami Marlins pitcher Janson Junk and Hawai驶i native Aiva Arquette.

Cribby becomes the fourth head coach in program history and succeeds interim head coach Garett Yukumoto.

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University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo women鈥檚 golfer Kiersten Saludares earned All-Pacific West Conference Third Team honors following a standout senior season.

Saludares was the lone Vulcan selected to the 2026 All-PacWest Teams, which are determined by final rankings based on full-season performance metrics.

The recognition comes after the Vulcans captured the 2026 PacWest Conference Championship in Las Vegas last month.

Saludares finished the season with a 78.1 adjusted scoring average and recorded five top-20 finishes. She opened the year with an individual title at the Grisham Memorial Shootout in Washington.

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Dylan Bercan closed with a two-under 70 to finish at five-under and place in a tie for 18th place at the NCAA Division II Men鈥檚 Golf Championships at Boulder Creek Golf Club near Las Vegas on May 20. In newly released rankings on May 21, Bercan stands at No. 78 in the nation.

The senior from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada finished the three-round tournament with a five-under total—the best score posted by a Vulcan at a national championship—following Nick Mason鈥檚 four-under score in 2005 (runner up) and seven-over total in 2004 (4th place).

After back-to-back bogeys on holes 11 and 12 to go three-over in the final round, Bercan responded with an eagle on the par-five 13th hole, followed by three consecutive birdies to go two-under in the round. Bercan entered the day tied for 15th after shooting a four-under 68 in round 2 and a one-over 73 in round 1.

The back-to-back PacWest Conference champion qualified for the national tournament as an individual after tying for fourth at the South Central/West Regional, placing among the top two individuals not affiliated with a qualifying team.

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Three student-athletes from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo programs earned recognition for their academic and athletic achievements after being named to the 2026 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team.

Jaime Paquet, Iori Furuhata and Victoria Ricaurte-Cabas received the honor from College Sports Communicators, which recognizes student-athletes who maintain at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA while competing in 90% of their team鈥檚 matches.

Paquet earned the distinction for the second consecutive year, and Furuhata represented the men鈥檚 team alongside Paquet.

On the women鈥檚 side, Ricaurte-Cabas was honored for her work in aeronautical sciences-commercial professional pilot training.

Academic All-District selections advance to the national Academic All-America ballot, with final honorees selected by CSC members.

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Lexie Tilton came to University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo from Oʻahu‘s ʻIolani School on a softball scholarship鈥攁nd somewhere between the diamond and the dean鈥檚 list, she found her real fight. This spring 2026, she graduates with a and a , headed to 糖心视频鈥檚 law school with one clear mission: helping local families afford to stay in Hawaiʻi.

Initially drawn to 糖心视频 Hilo for the opportunity to play Division II softball on scholarship, Tilton quickly fell in love with the island’s welcoming environment.

“I love the community here. They say this campus is the most diverse in the world, and it has always felt very inviting and supportive, especially for the athletic community,” shared Tilton, 糖心视频 Hilo鈥檚 #4 outfielder and 2025 PacWest Conference Co-Defender of the Year.

The transition from a structured high school to the freedom of a university setting allowed Tilton, who has repeatedly earned recognition for maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher as a student-athlete, to flourish.

Tilton holds great pride in the world-class education she received. She emphasizes the prestige of the , which is accredited by the AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), the highest standard for business schools worldwide.

Tilton reflected on the close-knit but powerful nature of the entire university.

“We鈥檙e small, but we鈥檙e feisty, and we get it done,” she said.

Tilton shared that her academic trajectory was profoundly shaped by 糖心视频 Hilo鈥檚 dedicated faculty. These academic connections proved vital for Tilton, who is already a licensed real estate agent. Inspired by her mother, a first-generation college graduate and realtor, she has sights set on an incredibly noble goal.

This fall, she will attend the to become a real estate attorney. Her mission is to combat the state鈥檚 soaring housing prices.

“We want to be able to empower locals to become homeowners by creating more affordable housing so they鈥檙e able to stay here,” Tilton explained, citing sobering statistics of how many Hawaiʻi natives are forced to move away to make ends meet.

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University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo pitcher Blake Saucedo has been named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II West Region Pitcher of the Week following his nine-inning complete-game shutout performance in a 3鈥�0 victory over Hawaiʻi Pacific University (HPU), May 1.

Saucedo made his second start of the season in the series-opening game against HPU, tossing all nine innings with six hits, two walks and four hit batsmen surrendered while striking out seven batters.

“It’s just the best outing I’ve had in my career for sure,” Saucedo said. “I finished the sixth inning and was like, ‘Okay, let me get seven for a quality start,’ and then I was like, ‘Okay, let me go to eight.’ I struck out the side in the eighth. I was like, ‘Why not one more?’ The coaches asked me how I was feeling—I was like, ‘Coach, you don’t even gotta ask me. I’m ready to go.’”

Saucedo was also selected as the Pacific West Conference Pitcher of the Week for the final week of the regular season.

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The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo placed three players on the All-PacWest Conference postseason awards list, as the Vulcans prepare for the conference tournament.

Left fielder Lexie Tilton headlined the group, repeating as PacWest Defender of the Year while also earning All-PacWest Second Team honors. Tilton became part of a growing tradition under head coach Aisha Sueda, marking the program鈥檚 fourth Defender of the Year selection since 2022. She previously earned All-PacWest recognition in 2024 and 2025.

Pitcher Janessa Santos was named to the All-PacWest First Team after a dominant season in the circle. Santos ranked among the conference鈥檚 top five in multiple pitching categories, including a league-best .174 opposing batting average.

Right fielder Rayna White rounded out Hilo鈥檚 honorees with an All-PacWest Second Team selection, leading the Vulcans offensively. White also earned second team recognition in 2024.

The four-team PacWest Championships run May 5鈥�7 in La Mirada, California, with the Vulcans opening tournament play against Biola on May 5.

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University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo baseball鈥檚 Blake Saucedo was selected as the Pacific West Conference Pitcher of the Week after tossing a nine-inning complete-game shutout against Hawaiʻi Pacific University (HPU) in the Vulcans’ regular-season series finale.

Saucedo made his second consecutive start in his 10th appearance on the mound this season going the entire nine innings with no runs allowed in a 3-0 victory to open the four-game series. Saucedo surrendered just six hits, two walks and four hit batsmen while tallying up seven strikeouts along with two putouts and one assist.

This marked the third shutout of the season by the Vulcans—and the only one to go nine innings—as well as the fourth time this season that HPU had been kept off the scoreboard.

The Vulcans also claimed victory in game two for the doubleheader sweep to help eliminate HPU from qualifying for the four-team PacWest Championships postseason tournament.

糖心视频 Hilo ended its season at 18-29 overall with a 17-25 record in PacWest play to finish No. 9 in the conference.

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The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo team won the 2026 Pacific West Conference Championship at Aliante Golf Club, marking the program鈥檚 second conference title.

The Vulcans held steady in second place through the first two rounds before delivering a strong final-round score of 295 (+7), finishing the tournament at +31 (895) to clinch the team victory.

Elle Otani led the way for 糖心视频 Hilo, tying for fourth overall at +4 with rounds of 74, 73, and 73. Otani closed with a par on the final hole, sealing the win as teammates rushed to celebrate.

Kiersten Saludares placed eighth at +9, followed by Kailee McKee in ninth at +10 and Trinity Ledgerwood tied for 10th at +11. Kieran Florino bounced back from a difficult second round to post a one-over finish in the final round, contributing to the team鈥檚 decisive push.

The team will now compete in the NCAA West Regional tournament in Colorado, May 4–6.

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