Mililani Sophomore Golfer Wins Second POY Honor
Mari Nishiura has been named OIA Western Division Player of the Year in girls golf, the league revealed recently.
A sophomore at Mililani High School, this is the second year in a row she has been named the division’s best.
Nishiura finished second at the OIA Individual Championships April 20- 21, carding a two-day total of 154 on Turtle Bay’s Fazio Course. (Kaiser freshman Malia Nam won the title shooting 145.) Nishiura followed up her performance at the OIA individual championships by competing in the state golf championships at Waikoloa Resort the first week of May. She had a two-day total of 150 to finish in a fourth-place tie with Allysha-Mae Mateo of Maryknoll.
Nishiura first burst onto the prep golf scene in 2014 as a freshman, when she edged Castle’s Iris Kawada at the OIA Individual Championships in a playoff. (She went on to finish sixth overall at the 2014 state championships.)
Mililani’s Abraham Kealoha was named Girls Coach of the Year by his peers after leading the Trojans to a third-place finish in the OIA behind traditional East powers Kaiser and Kalani. OIA All-Star teams are selected in a vote of league coaches.
In addition to Nishiura, Mililani placed Stephanie Koza, Kira Nakamoto, Kelsie Dait, Eden Sun and Carli Shimokihara on the West’s First Team. Stephanie Koza was Mililani’s second- highest finisher at the OIA Individual Championships, taking seventh, and Ashley Koza made the division’s Second Team.
As for the Mililani boys, the Trojans had a leaguehigh four First Team selections in Trey Yang (13th in the OIA), Andrew Hipolito (19th), Jarryd Gano (20th) and Alexander Rambaud (25th). The team also placed two players, Matthew Kikuyama and Daniel Ko, on the West’s Second Team. Kikuyama tied for 25th overall in the OIA with teammate Rambaud at the Individual Championships, while Ko took 32nd. Mililani also finished third at the OIA Team Championships last month behind East foes Moanalua and Kaiser.
Head coach Mark DeCastro was named the West’s Coach of the Year.
Mililani wasn’t the only Central Oahu school to be successful on the golf course. Leilehua’s Courtney Tabion made the First Team after finishing 11th overall at the OIA Individuals, while fellow Mule Nicholas Furusho was chosen as the Boys Western Division Player of the Year.
HPU’s Baysa Earns Post-season Honor
HPU softball star Toni Baysa has been selected for the District 8 Academic All-District team.
A standout at Mililani High School during her prep days, Baysa delivered big during her final college season, leading the Sharks with a .345 batting average. She also drove in 15 runs while hitting out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup and scored 23 runs. Baysa also picked up six extra base hits, including four triples, and produced in the field as well with a .933 fielding percentage.
She also earned All- PacWest Third Team honors in a vote of league coaches, making her one of only two Sharks to do so in 2015, joining teammate Dorian Acierto.
Baysa, who has a 3.75 GPA in health sciences at HPU, now will be included in the national ballot for the opportunity to be named an Academic All-American.
