The University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa sailing team placed all fielded squads in the top five to sweep the inaugural �鶹��ý Fleet Race Invite. The regatta was held March 28–29 at UH Mānoa’s home site in Keʻehi Lagoon.

The Rainbow Sailors displayed their depth to shut out a visiting field that included teams from Arizona State University, UC San Diego and University of North Carolina Wilmington.

�鶹��ý Fleet Race Invite top five:

• Rainbow Green team—148 points
• Rainbows team—180 points
• Rainbow Black team—236 points
• Rainbow Wahine—243 points
• Rainbow White team—270 points

The ʻBows are entering championship season, with the coed team preparing for the Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference (PCCSC) Team Race Championship in Redwood City, California April 4–5. The Rainbow Wahine will travel to Lake Whatcom, Washington for the PCCSC Women’s Fleet Race Championship April 11–12.

Read more at .The post UH Mānoa sailing sweeps top 5 at inaugural Hawaiʻi Fleet Race Invite first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 231452 /news/2025/10/17/rainbow-sailor-national-championships/ Sat, 18 Oct 2025 01:13:40 +0000 /news/?p=223911 Erik Anderson qualified for the Intercollegiate Sailing Association Singlehanded National Championships.

Five University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa have earned national recognition for their achievements in both competition and the classroom. The Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) named Vivian Bønsager, Malia Johnson, Erik Anderson, Amanda Turner and Morgan Carew to its 2024–25 All-Academic Team.

The ICSA All-Academic Sailing Team recognizes juniors and seniors who participated in at least seven regattas during the season and maintained a cumulative grade-point-average (GPA) of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

Bønsager and Johnson earned academic honors in back-to-back years and played pivotal roles in helping the Rainbow Wahine secure a fourth consecutive berth to the ICSA Women’s Fleet Race National Championships.

Anderson, Turner and Carew received the recognition for the first time, capping off seasons where each played a significant role in UH Mānoaʻs success. Carew raced in all nine regattas for the Rainbow Wahine at crew, and competed in four races during the postseason.

Read more at .

The University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa coed team secured a second-place finish in the Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup held in San Pedro, California.

Competing against a field of nine other schools, the Rainbow sailors’ put together a stellar performance with its best finish since winning the Harbor Cup in 2023.

The ‘Bows represented well in 10 total races, finishing first in three and ending the event with 43 total points. USC was crowned the champion of the three-day event with 36 points.

Led by skipper Erik Anderson, UH‘s Catalina 37 fleet featured Kees Horn, Sophia Shaeffer, Malia Johnson, Everett McAvoy, Vivian Bønsager, Arden Rathkopf and Grady Van Ness.

The UH sailing team will be in action on March 22 to 23, in Long Beach, California.

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Former University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa sailor Cole Brauer has been honored with US Sailing’s highest accolade, the 2024 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year.

Brauer captured the sailing world’s attention during the Global Solo Challenge, where she made history as the first American woman to sail solo around the world, finishing second in the inaugural race.

Brauer received the award on February 6, at the 2025 US Sailing Leadership Forum in California. The selection process involved a panel of past Rolex Award winners and prominent sailing media members, who recognized outstanding achievements in the sport over the past year.

Brauer is the second UH sailing alumnae in the last three years to garner the award, joining former Rainbow Wahine and six-time Formula Kite World Champion Daniela Moroz.

Brauer began her sailing journey at UH Mānoa. She experienced incredible success as a Rainbow Wahine and was named the 2017 Jack Bonham Award winner, which is considered the highest honor in UH athletics. At UH, she became a member of three national championship-qualifying teams and was a two-time Intercollegiate Sailing Association Academic All-American Team member.

Brauer was the UH sailing team’s top scholar-athlete in 2016. She graduated in 2017 with a degree in food science and human nutrition with a pre-professional medical focus.

The is joining the Mountain West Conference as a full member effective July 1, 2026. Travel subsidies for conference opponents will be phased out as part of the new membership and the exit fee from the Big West Conference will be covered. Since 2012, UH has been competing in the Mountain West in football and in the Big West for most of its other men’s and women’s sports teams.

“The University of �鶹��ý is honored to accept full membership in the Mountain West Conference, marking a pivotal moment in our athletic program’s history.” said UH President David Lassner. “While we are sad to leave so many amazing colleagues and competitors in the Big West, this expanded partnership will build on our strong football relationship and securely position us to thrive with our Mountain West colleagues in the incredibly dynamic landscape of intercollegiate athletics. The move will also help strengthen our overall finances.”

The addition of UH as a full member of the conference gives the Mountain West eight full-time members, meeting the NCAA minimum requirement to be a Division I conference. The move comes after five schools announced in September that they are leaving the conference in 2026 and the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) accepted an offer to join the Mountain West. The conference announced on September 26 that remaining schools signed a memorandum of understanding, affirming their current commitment to the conference and formally agreeing to negotiating and executing a six year media rights contract that would begin in July 2026.

“We are thrilled to welcome the University of �鶹��ý to the Mountain West as a full-time member,” said MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez. “�鶹��ý has been a tremendous football-only member since 2012, and we’re excited to add their incredible national brand across all MW sports. As the flagship institution on the islands, with extraordinary academics and a celebrated athletics tradition, we look forward to providing their student-athletes with exceptional educational and athletic experiences.”

Beginning with the 2026–27 seasons, �鶹��ý will compete in 15 conference-sponsored sports in the Mountain West. Women’s sports include basketball, cross country, golf, indoor and outdoor track & field, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis and volleyball. Men’s sports include basketball, baseball, football, golf, and tennis. The Mountain West does not sponsor beach volleyball, men’s volleyball, men’s swimming & diving, and women’s water polo. A formal decision on where those UH teams will compete will be determined in the coming months. UH’s co-ed and women’s sailing teams will continue their affiliation with the Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference.

“This is a momentous day for University of �鶹��ý Athletics,” said UH Athletics Director Craig Angelos. “We’ve had the privilege of being a football-only member in the Mountain West for the last dozen years. Now the majority of our sports will enjoy the same experience of competing in this exceptional conference. Joining the Mountain West allows us to renew some historic rivalries, creates opportunities for increased exposure and provides stability in the constantly-evolving world of collegiate athletics.”

State leaders say they support the conference realignment.

“I’m encouraged that community leaders and the University of �鶹��ý President and Athletics Director are on the same page with the current proposal to fully join the Mountain West Conference,” said �鶹��ý Gov. Josh Green. “We are optimistic about moving forward with the MWC as it is a conference that we are familiar with, and will position UH athletics well moving forward.”

“As a proud University of �鶹��ý alum, former player and coach, I have a deep connection to this institution and its future,” said Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “While I respect the decision to remain in the Mountain West Conference, I personally would have liked to see UH explore opportunities with the newly restructured Pac-12. However, I trust that UH leadership has made this decision with the best interests of the university and our community in mind, and I will continue to support them in representing �鶹��ý with pride and strength.”

UH Mānoa is the only Division I athletics program in �鶹��ý with approximately 500 student-athletes on 22 teams. The school became a member of the NCAA in 1946 and joined its first major intercollegiate conference in 1979. UH boasts six team national championships and 11 individual national champions in its history.

The other Mountain West Conference members as of July 2026 will be the United States Air Force Academy; University of Nevada, Reno; University of New Mexico; San José State University; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; the University of Wyoming; and UTEP.

University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa sailor Martha Schuessler finished in first place in the Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference (PCCSC) Women’s Singlehanded Championship, held off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, on September 28.

Schuessler is the first Rainbow Wahine to win the event since 2005. She finished first in nine out of 10 total races. Her performance earned her a regatta-low of 11 points. This victory qualifies Schuessler for the Inter-collegiate Sailing Association Singlehanded Championships which will be held by the University of South Florida in Saint Petersburg, Florida November 9–10.

The team will travel to the East Coast for the Stu Nelson Invitational, October 5–6, in Connecticut.

For more on Schuessler, go to

The University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa will be well represented at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Thirteen current, former and future Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine will participate at the 2024 Paris Olympics—12 athletes and one coach.

The 12 athletes match the highest total for UH in any Olympics (12 in 2000). Two athletes represent the U.S.—kiteboarder Daniela Moroz and men’s volleyball player Taylor Averill—along with women’s volleyball assistant coach Alfee Reft. Moroz and men’s basketball player Akira Jacobs (Japan) are current UH student-athletes, while water polo player Ema Vernoux (France) is an incoming freshman for the Rainbow Wahine. Water polo player Camille Radosavljevic (France) took a break from UH but is expected to return following the Olympics.

Four of the 12 compete in water polo followed by three each in swimming and basketball (5×5 and 3×3), and one each in sailing and men’s volleyball. Along with the two U.S. athletes, other countries represented include France (2), New Zealand (2), American Samoa (1), Australia (1), Canada (1), Japan (1), Latvia (1) and Netherlands (1).

UH Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Robyn Ah Mow competed for the U.S. in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics, and explained what the athletes are likely feeling ahead of this year’s games.

“Anxious, nervous, excited,” Ah Mow said. “We started playing right after the Opening Ceremonies, so we practiced all the way up to the start of the games. In all three, we were on site at least a week prior—we were training, we were there, so we were in the moment already.

For the opening ceremonies…from my first one to the third one, they were all totally different. But for the first one, I was in amazement of just being there about to walk into the opening ceremonies to play in one of the biggest sporting events in the world. To be one of only 12 out of a zillion players to make the U.S. National Team was an achievement. I was proud to literally represent my country and �鶹��ý where I was born and raised and went to school.”

More UH Olympic athletes:

• UH swimming alumni set for Paris Olympics, July 22, 2024
• Former UH sailor Moroz to compete in Paris Olympics, July 17, 2024
• 4 Wahine water polo players to compete at Olympics, July 16, 2024
• UH’s Jacobs, Raimo headed to 2024 Summer Olympics, July 8, 2024

All-Time UH Olympians (59)

Baseball (1)

• Andrew McNally—Australia, 1996

Men’s Basketball (3)

• Tom Henderson—USA, 1972 (silver)
• Akira Jacobs—Japan, 2024
• Zigmars Raimo—Latvia, 2024 (competed in 3×3 Basketball)

Sailing (6)

• Kui Lim—Chinese Taipei, 1984
• Yal Lim—Chinese Taipei, 1984/li>
• Daniela Moroz—USA, 2024 (competed in Kite)/li>
• John Myrdal—USA, 2000/li>
• Molly O’Bryan-Vandemoer—USA, 2012/li>
• Fung Yang—Hong Kong, 1996

Women’s Soccer (1)

• Natasha Kai—USA, 2008 (gold)

Softball (6)

• Rachel Lack—Australia, 2020
• Kaia Parnaby—Australia, 2020
• Stacey Porter—Australia, 2004 (silver), 2008 (bronze)
• Justin Smethurst—Australia, 2008 (bronze)
• Clare Warwick—Australia, 2020
• Brooke Wilkins—Australia, 1996 (bronze), 2000 (bronze), 2004 (silver)

Men’s Swimming (7)

• Azad Al-Barazi—Syria, 2012, 2016
• Nicholas Folker—South Africa, 2000
• Kane Follows—New Zealand, 2024
• Matthew Hon Ming Kwok—Hong Kong, 2000
• Gary Hurring—New Zealand, 1984
• Micah Masei—American Samoa, 2020, 2024
• Simon Thirsk—South Africa, 2000

Women’s Swimming (12)

• Jasmine Alkhaldi—Philippines, 2012, 2016
• Susie Atwood—USA, 1968, 1972 (1G, 1S, 1B)
• Yan Chen—China, 1996, 2000
• Renate Du Plessis—South Africa, 2000
• Evelyn Kawamoto-Konno—USA, 1952 (2B)
• Shelly Mann—USA, 1956 (1G, 1B)
• Barbara Mitchell—USA, 1972
• Maureen O’Toole—USA, 200, 1996, 2000, 2004
• Melanie Schlanger—Australia, 2008 (1G, 1B), 2012 (1G, 2S)
• Laticia Transom—New Zealand, 2024
• Camille Wright—USA, 1976 (1S)

Track and Field (1)

• Lacey O’Neal—USA, 1964, 1972

Men’s Volleyball (4)

• Nikolas Berger—Austria, 2000, 2004 (competed in beach volleyball)
• Carlos Briceno—USA, 1992 (bronze)
• Clay Stanley—USA, 2004, 2008 (gold), 2012
• Taylor Averill—USA, 2024

Women’s Volleyball (6)

• Robyn Ah Mow—USA, 2000, 2004, 2008 (silver)
• Heather Bown—USA, 2000, 2004, 2008 (silver)
• Deitre Collins—USA, 1988
• Bobbie Perry—USA, 1968
• Teee Williams—USA, 1992 (bronze), 1996
• Kim Willoughby—USA, 2008 (silver)

Women’s Water Polo (12)

• Marie-Luc Arpin—Canada, 2000, 2004
• Meike De Nooy—Netherlands, 2008 (gold)
• Monika Eggens—Canada, 2020
• Dagmar Genee—Netherlands, 2020
• Irene Gonzalez Lopez—Spain, 2020 (silver)
• Maartje Keuning—Netherlands, 2020, 2024
• Elyse Lemay-Lavoie—Canada, 2020, 2024
• Gabriela Montellato Dias—Brazil, 2016
• Camille Radosavljevic—France, 2024
• Iefke Van Belkum—Netherlands, 2008 (gold)
• Ema Vernoux—France, 2024
• Jordan Wedderburn—South Africa, 2020

Italics – attended UH after competing in the Olympics

Four members of the were named to the Intercollegiate Sailing Association’s (ICSA) All-Academic Team for 2023–24. Vivian Bonsager, Malia Johnson, Anna Kalabukhova and Mercy Tangredi were among the 290 sailors selected nationally for their accomplishments both on the water and in the classroom.

This is the second straight year that Tangredi, a physics major, earned the distinction. The two-time all-Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference skipper sailed in eight women’s regattas this past season and helped the team advance to ICSA Women’s Fleet National Championships for the third straight year.

Bonsager (global environmental science), Johnson (communications) and Kalabukhova (English) all made the list for the first time and were instrumental in UH’s drive for a postseason bid.

The ICSA All-Academic Sailing Team recognizes juniors and seniors who participated in seven regattas during the season and maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

Former is headed to the in Paris to compete in kiteboarding, which is making its Olympics debut.

The 23-year-old already has a decorated career having been named a six-time Formula Kite World Champion and four-time U.S. Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, but she is looking to add Olympic medalist to her résumé in August.

• Related UH News story: National sailing award for kiteboarding UH Mānoa athlete, February 13, 2020

“It’s super exciting,” Moroz said. “You just dream about it for so long. Growing up I always dreamed about going to the [Olympic] Games as any young athlete does. When the possibility came around I was ‘yeah, I just gotta go for it.’ …Feeling nervous and every day I wake up and I see the countdown on my phone and we’re like ‘one day closer,’ and you’re just trying to figure out how to maximize every minute.”

The inaugural Olympic kiteboarding competition will take place at Marseille Marina, the official Olympics sailing venue, in the Mediterranean Sea. Moroz is one of 20 women competing for gold.

Kiteboarding will be one of 10 sailing events in France and kicks off on August 4. Competitors are propelled across the water’s surface while holding a kite to harness the power of the wind. Athletes require the balance of a surfer, while traveling at a similar speed seen in windsurfing. If the wind is strong enough riders can reach speeds of up to 46 miles per hour and have been seen jumping 20 feet in the air. Riders navigate a buoy-marked course through different winds, making tactical decisions and optimizing their equipment to maximize speed and efficiency.

More UH Olympic athletes:

• UH swimming alumni set for Paris Olympics, July 22, 2024
• 4 Wahine water polo players to compete at Olympics, July 16, 2024
• UH’s Jacobs, Raimo headed to 2024 Summer Olympics, July 8, 2024

Moroz’ sailing career at UH

Moroz, who grew up in the Bay Area in California, sailed at UH Mānoa in 2020–21 and competed in several competitions for the Rainbows.

“The sailing team was so much fun,” Moroz said. “It was just one of those things where you start school in a new place and you immediately have 15 best friends because you just bond over sailing and that was so cool. The people were just incredible and having that circle of friends to be able to go and hang out with was so much fun. Also for me, I didn’t have that much experience with actual boat sailing because my background was just kiting so I really appreciated how patient everyone was with me when I was still learning, and it was just a great opportunity to upskill myself and to improve in a new discipline of my sport.”

UH Sailing Coach Andy Johnson said, “Daniela is a very happy, likable person and was a very positive influence on all of us during the time she spent with the UH Sailing team. She is driven to succeed and we are all extremely excited to watch her bring home a medal for all of us and our country!”

After the Olympics, Moroz plans to return to UH Mānoa in spring 2025 to finish the remaining semester in her marketing degree.

“Thank you for all of the support, and especially even as someone that didn’t grow up on the island that I came from California, I always felt so welcomed,” Moroz said. “When I would go to my professors and tell them I was missing class for a regatta, they were always like ‘oh yeah that’s awesome, go have fun.’ Everyone was always so supportive, always wanted to help and was interested in what I was doing which was so cool to feel that support. I’m really excited to come back and finish my degree.”

—By Marc Arakaki