Athletics

For information, please contact:

Office of Intercollegiate Athletics
Audrey Hirayama, Secretary to the Director
808-974-7520
audreyhi@hawaii.edu

or contact:
Dr. Luoluo Hong, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs & Acting Athletic Director
Student Services Building, Room 208
(808) 974-7335; (808) 974-7711 (fax)
luoluo.hong@hawaii.edu

Gwen Kagaoan, Director of Athletic Academic Service
808-933-9912
kagaoan@hawaii.edu

The Office of Intercollegiate Athletics supports the academic mission of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo while fostering connections with the UH Hilo community and beyond. It does so by providing men and women the opportunity to pursue a quality baccalaureate education while building character and developing leadership, teamwork and other lifelong skills.

Guiding Values

In support of our mission, the Office of Intercollegiate Athletics is guided by the following values:

Excellence – All student-athletes, administrators, coaches, staff and volunteers are expected to hold themselves to high standards of integrity and performance on- and off-the field, to ethical behavior, and to sportsman-like conduct, as well as to understand that winning is not the same thing as excellence.
Diversity – UH Hilo is uniquely positioned to provide higher education access opportunities to students from the State of Hawaiʻi and beyond and is especially sensitive to ensuring that men and women have equitable access to athletic participation opportunities; further, the diversity of our student-athletes will be leveraged purposely to enhance the student educational experience.
Honor – We encourage a strong work ethic among our coaches, staff and student-athletes, and emphasize the importance of respecting self and others, taking personal responsibility for one’s actions, and actively demonstrating an aloha spirit at all times to colleagues, teammates, students, community members and fans.
Resourcefulness – The investment of resources from the University, from the State and from our donors and supporters will be cultivated responsibly and managed carefully with an eye to sustaining a long-term future for our athletic programs and maximizing participation for as many students as possible. In addition, resources will be used to minimize institutional liability and promote student health and safety to the best of our ability.

Regional and national rankings are frequent occurrences for many of the Vulcan athletic programs. Teams and individuals have maximized their opportunities to achieve against quality competition. UH Hilo, in 2008, was the winner of the first ever PacWest Commissioner’s Cup in recognition of its first place finish in overall excellence in the sports supported by the PacWest Conference. In the classroom, also, the Vulcan athletics program has produced noteworthy numbers of students receiving academic All-Conference and All-American recognition. The University of Hawaii at Hilo Athletic Department commits to the development of the total student-athlete, embracing high expectations in the classroom and on the playing field or court.

In 2002 the University was recognized with top honors in the NCAA academic achievement awards from USA Today. Vulcan athletes from the 1995 freshmen class finished among the top two in three of the categories used to measure athletes’ success in the classroom. The Vulcans placed (a) first in graduation rate [100 percent], (b) first in the difference in graduation rate between athletes and the overall student enrollment [plus 70 percent], and (c) second in improvement from 1994 [57 percent increase].

To support athletes’ academic efforts, the University provides a full support service specifically for student athletes. The Academic Support Service program enhances the support necessary for academic success of a student athlete. In addition, the Pacific West Conference and University are committed to providing a study hall environment, computer access, and library admission for our traveling squads. A computer-based Vulcan Study/Resource Center is available in the Athletic Complex to provide an around-the-clock study environment to meet student athletes’ academic needs during their rigorous athletic and academic schedules.

In 2007-08 the NCAA recognized the University of Hawaiʻi Hilo for overall excellence in diversity based on one of the highest total scores in an independent survey conducted by the NCAA and Texas A&M Laboratory for Diversity in Sport. The survey collected data in the following areas:

diversity strategy
gender diversity of departmental employees
racial diversity of department employees
value and attitudinal diversity of department employees
graduation of African-American male student-athletes
graduation of African-American female student-athletes
gender-equity compliance (substantial proportionality).

Competitive Sports

UH Hilo supports thirteen varsity sports including the following:

For female Student Athletes:

Basketball
Cross country
Golf
Soccer
Softball
Tennis
Volleyball

For male Student Athletes:

Baseball
Basketball
Cross Country
Golf
Soccer
Tennis

All teams participate at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and are members of the Pacific West Conference.

Since joining the NCAA Division II during the 1994-95 seasons, post-season participation has become an achievable and expected goal for many Vulcan sports. The individual sports of cross country, tennis, and golf have been regular participants in regional tournaments; volleyball, softball and basketball teams have been ranked regionally and nationally. On the field and court numerous post-season awards have been garnered by Vulcan athletes who have had the opportunity to compete in our athletic program.

Background

The history of Vulcan athletics goes back to the glory days of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) when the women’s volleyball team won seven national championships, including five NAIA National Championships and two AIAW Division II titles. In the unprecedented 1981 season, UH Hilo won the NAIA and AIAW national championships.

It was basketball, however, that brought the Vulcan program onto the national scene by winning the NAIA District 2 Basketball Championships in 1977 and advancing into the second round of the NAIA National Championship. The program added three more district championships: 1978, 1980, and 1987.

Baseball and softball also flourished in the NAIA. Baseball advanced through District and Area Championships and participated in three NAIA World Series. Softball boasts a record seventeen consecutive winning seasons while having won three District championships, finishing fourth at the 1992 Softball World Series in Pensacola, Florida, participating in the 2005, 2006, and 2007 NCAA Western Regional Tournament, and achieving a Top 25 NCAA National Ranking in 2007.

Facilities

Vulcan athletes are offered a multiple athletic facility both on and off campus. Volleyball calls the 1,000-seat UH Hilo New Gym home, while the men’s and women’s basketball teams play most of their games at the 3,000-seat Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. The softball team has an on-campus facility. The baseball team plays at three sites: the 1,000-seat UH Hilo baseball complex, the 2,500-seat Francis K. Wong Stadium in Hilo, and Simmons Field in Kailua-Kona. The Waikoloa King’s Golf Course serves as the men’s and women’s golf teams’ home course. Tennis teams compete on the newly-refurbished UH Hilo tennis courts and have competed at the Fairmont Orchid at Mauna Lani Tennis Pavilion on the Kohala Coast. Soccer teams play their schedules at nearby Keaau High School until a campus facility can be developed.

Academic Support

The Athletic Academic Support Office is located in the Athletic Complex, adjacent to the main Athletic Office. Vulcan athletic academic assistance may include, but is not limited to, the following:

Class Scheduling
Resolving Conflicts with Professors
Study Hall
Tutoring
Academic Eligibility
Other Academic Questions or Concerns

CHAMPS/Life Skills Program

The Vulcan Athletic Department participates in the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program. The mission of the NCAA is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the campus educational program and the student-athlete as an integral part of the student body. With this in mind, the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program was created by the NCAA to support student-athlete development initiatives of NCAA member institutions and to enhance the quality of the student-athlete experience within the context of higher education. In the process of achieving this mission, the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program will:

Promote student-athletes’ ownership of their academic, athletic, career, personal and community responsibilities.
Meet the changing needs of student-athletes.
Promote respect for diversity and inclusion among student-athletes.
Assist student-athletes in identifying and applying transferable skills.
Enhance partnerships between the NCAA, member institutions and their communities for the purpose of education.
Foster an environment that encourages student-athletes to effectively access campus resources.
Encourage the development of character, integrity and leadership skills.