Athletics

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For information, please contact:

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

or


Dexter Irvin, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics (ldirvin@hawaii.edu)
Building 320C
Tel: 
(808) 974-7621; Fax: (808) 974-7711

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 UH Hilo Office of Intercollegiate Athletics 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].

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. Men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball call the 1,000-seat UH Hilo Vulcan Gym home. 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 Kings' Golf Course serves as the men’s and women’s golf teams’ home course. Tennis teams compete on the 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 the new campus soccer facility located below the softball complex.

Academic Support

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

Rev. 3/5/13