Kapolei Heads To Semifinals
The Kapolei girls water polo team continued its upward mobility last week by advancing to the semi-finals of the girls state tournament.
The Hurricanes were to meet five-time defending state champ Punahou last Thursday for an opportunity to play in the school’s first-ever state title game. Kapolei defeated both Moanalua (9-3) and fourth-seeded Baldwin (10-5) to advance to the semifinals, marking the second straight year of making it to the final four of the state tournament. (The Hurricanes took fourth in the state last spring.) Kapolei entered last Thursday’s game at 14-2, with both losses having come to Kahuku. The Hurricanes were also the Oahu Interscholastic Association runner-up for the second straight year to the Red Raiders.
Strom-Okimoto named to PacWest All-Conference team
Former Aiea and current Chaminade standout Rayna Strom-Okimoto was among a school-record four AllPacWest Conference selections recently when the league revealed its post-season softball awards. The honor marked the second consecutive All-Conference honor for Strom-Okimoto, who was named second team shortstop and first team utility last year. In her final go-around as a senior this spring, she led the Silverswords and was among the PacWest leaders in every major offensive category including batting average (.401), RBI (35) and home runs (9). She also led the conference with a .679 slugging percentage and ranked 34th in NCAA Division II in toughest-to-strikeout with a 27.0 ratio (six strikeouts in 162 at-bats). Chaminade’s 2012-13 Female Athlete of the Year leaves CUH with a career .416 average, 65 RBI and 13 homers. She also was named to the Tournament of Champions All-Tournament team for two consecutive seasons and received back-to-back PacWest Player of the Week honors in early April.
Richardson named head women’s soccer coach at Chaminade
West Oahu resident Michelle Richardson confirmed she has accepted the head women’s soccer position at Chaminade University. Richardson spent the last three seasons as the head girls coach at Kalani High School, where she had an immediate impact. Her best season came in 2010, when she led the Falcons to a 15-3-1 mark as well as a third-place finish at the Division I state tournament. Kalani also finished second in the OIA that year. Richardson starred at Saint Mary’s University from 1994 to 1996 and also was previously the head coach at Campolindo High School in California. The Silverswords currently have four players – Christina Saturnio (Pearl City), Kayla Akau (Kapolei), Alyssa Nagai (Pearl City) and Kristy Iwahashi (Pearl City) – on their roster from West side schools.
