Coach Jim DeMello has three returning sophomores back — Kapa’a’s Ki’ilani Matsuyoshi, Breena Kadekaru and Kristen Higa. Matsuyoshi made a big splash in her collegiate debut with a runnerup finish at Third Annual Western Washington Invitational. A few weeks later,
Coach Jim DeMello has three returning sophomores back — Kapa’a’s Ki’ilani Matsuyoshi, Breena Kadekaru and Kristen Higa. Matsuyoshi made a big splash in her collegiate debut with a runnerup finish at Third Annual Western Washington Invitational.
A few weeks later, she won The Golf Mart/Lady Otter Invitational.
The season was completed with a second place tie at the conference championship. Higa was sixth at the conference championship while Kadekara was 11th .
The women’s schedule includes the Grand Canyon University Invitational (Sept. 26-27), the Viking/Western Washington Invitational (Oct. 1-11), the Otter/Cal State Monterey Bay Invitational (Oct. 24-25, March 6-7) and the Donnis Thompson/Hawaii Invitational (March 21-22).
While the University of Hawai’i at Hilo men’s golf team has matured into one of the premier programs in the NCAA Division II, the women’s team enters its second season well on its way to the top.
Men’s Coach Earl Tamiya returns two of his key players from last year’s team which finished fifth at the NCAA Division II championship.
Tamiya will be looking to senior Colin Gilliam to lead the young Vulcans. With consistent play, Gilliam proved to be a driven competitor. He won medalist honors at the Elco, Inc. Intercollegiate Golf Tournament with a 5-under, 211 in leading the Vulcans to the tournament title.
Gilliam also finished in a fourth-place tie in the conference championship.
Also back is senior Kevin Shimomura who finished sixth at the conference championship and has played over 30 tournaments during his career as a Vulcan golfer.
The men’s schedule will be as competitive as ever with the Vulcans facing many members of the NCAA West Region as well as many of the top Division I programs.
The 2005-06 schedule has the team playing in the St. Martin’s College Invitational (Sept. 23-24), the 34^th Annual Viking/Western Washington Invitational (Sept. 26-27), the Wells Fargo/Chico State Invitational (Oct. 10-11), the John A. Burns/Hawaii Intercollegiate (Feb. 22-24), the Cal State Bakersfield Invitational (Feb. 27-28), the Cal State Monterey Bay Invitational (March 20-21), the Buzzini/Stanislaus Invitational (April 10-11) and The Nelson/Stanford Invitational (April 14-16).
The Vulcans host two tournament this year — The Mauna Lani Intercollegiate (Oct. 31 — Nov. 1) and the UH Hilo Intercollegiate (Feb. 8-10).
Both men’s and women’s squads will participate in The Mauna Lani Intercollegiate.
