The University of �鶹��ý at Hilo men’s and women’s soccer programs earned 2025–26 United Soccer Coaches College Team Academic Awards for their achievements in the classroom.

Both Vulcan teams posted cumulative grade point averages of 3.0 or higher to qualify for the national recognition.

UH Hilo was among 777 college soccer teams nationwide to receive the honor, including 326 men’s and 451 women’s programs. The university was also one of just 175 schools nationwide to have both its men’s and women’s soccer teams recognized.

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The University of �鶹��ý at Hilo women’s soccer team has been named the winner of the 2025–26 Pacific West Conference Women’s Team Community Engagement Award after completing 637.5 hours of community service during the year.

The Vulcans volunteered across campus, at local schools and throughout the Hilo community. Their service included Mālama ʻĀina Day, where they picked up trash and planted kalo, along with the Merrie Monarch Festival, Boo at the Zoo and Special Olympics. The team also read to elementary students on Dr. Seuss Day and supported Team IMPACT and Unity Prom.

On campus, student-athletes helped with Move-in Day and health fairs. They also gave back to the local soccer community by assisting with tournaments at Waiākea High School, the Nā Hoa Cup and Mini Big Tournament.

“Excellence at UH Hilo extends far beyond the pitch, and this recognition highlights our student-athletes’ dedication to giving back and making a meaningful impact throughout the community,” UH Hilo Athletics Director Patrick Guillen said.

The honor follows UH Hilo’s PacWest Team Engagement Award for 2024–25.

“What was most rewarding was to observe the growth of our student-athletes over the course of the year,” Head Coach Gene Okamura said. “They took initiative, demonstrated accountability and built meaningful relationships across all of these experiences.”

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The University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa women’s soccer team will open the 2026 season at the new on-campus field.

Phase I of the on-campus field was recently completed. Temporary bleachers and other necessary infrastructure to accommodate teams and spectators will be installed.

The team will move from Waipiʻo Peninsula Soccer Stadium and play its first seven matches on the Mānoa campus. A potential return to Waipiʻo Stadium will be considered when Mountain West competition begins in October.

UH’s season opener is August 13 vs. Texas Tech at 4 p.m. as part of the three-team, two–day OUTRIGGER Soccer Kickoff tournament.

Admission to matches at the on-campus field is free. Applicable parking fees apply.

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Three University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa women’s soccer players have been selected to the Mountain West Preseason Player Watch List ahead of the Rainbow Wahine’s first year in the conference. Senior forward Anuhea Aluli, senior midfielder Izzy Ayala and junior goalkeeper Kennedy Justin were recognized on the league’s preseason list.

The Wahine also checked in at No. 6 in the preseason coaches’ poll.

The selections underscore a talented roster that boasts both extensive collegiate experience and local championship pedigree. Justin, a former first-team all-region selection, has already established herself as one of the region’s elite goalkeepers after a historic freshman campaign and a sophomore year in which she was named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List.

Ayala, the heart of the Rainbow Wahine midfield, enters her senior year after playing nearly every minute of the 2025 season. Aluli, an Oʻahu native, joins the Rainbow Wahine rotation as a senior transfer from Oakland, bringing a wealth of Division I experience and a pedigree as a goal-scoring threat.

The Rainbow Wahine open the 2026 regular season vs. Texas Tech on August 13 as part of the OUTRIGGER Soccer Kickoff.

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University of �鶹��ý at Hilo standout Koki Hamada has been named the Pacific West Conference Men’s Soccer Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year, recognizing his excellence in the classroom and on the field.

Hamada, a Tokyo native, graduated this spring with a bachelor of business administration and a 3.72 cumulative GPA after a four-year career with the Vulcans.

Last season, Hamada helped lead UH Hilo to its first NCAA postseason appearance and victory in program history. He was named PacWest Defender of the Year, earned All-PacWest First Team and All-West Region honors, and received Academic All-America recognition.

Hamada shared the conference honor with Menlo College’s Martin Fiala and is UH Hilo’s first PacWest Scholar-Athlete of the Year since 2021–22.

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With more than 6.5 million fans from more than 100 countries converging on cities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, public health stakes are significant. Mass gatherings create conditions where localized outbreaks can rapidly become international events, making timely, integrated situational awareness essential for officials protecting public health. This summer, that critical role is being filled by a new Health Security Operations Center (HSOC) that relies on the University of �鶹��ý’s (PDC)’s platform as a key data source and decision-support tool.

Georgetown University and MedStar Health established the HSOC under their joint National Center for Health Security and Resilience. The team is leveraging DisasterAWARE to fuse disparate data streams—including wastewater surveillance, electronic health records, hospitalizations and real-time health reports—gathered across all 16 host cities.

By integrating and analyzing disease signals, they provide decision makers with early, actionable warnings. More than 350 organizations, including hospital emergency managers, state and local health officials, and federal agencies, are enrolled to receive the HSOC’s daily situation reports.

Hazard intelligence, complex missions

“Working alongside MedStar and Georgetown officials on the inside of the HSOC, DisasterAWARE is revolutionizing how we monitor disease during large-scale events,” said Tim Manning, former deputy administrator of FEMA and PDC senior advisor. “PDC’s hazard intelligence capabilities bridge health data streams from numerous sources into a single, coherent operating picture, significantly enhancing the way we protect public health when the world comes together.”

PDC’s support during this high-profile event demonstrates how purpose-built hazard intelligence can be rapidly adapted to meet complex, emerging missions. For an organization that has spent decades building the tools, frameworks and partnerships that help nations anticipate and respond to disasters of every kind, supporting the HSOC is a natural extension.

“DisasterAWARE was built to deliver clarity in the world’s most complex, high-stakes environments, and a global event of this magnitude, the World Cup, is exactly that kind of environment,” said Erin Hughey, deputy executive director of the Pacific Disaster Center. “Seeing our platform serve as a cornerstone of national health security operations at this scale is a powerful testament to what PDC has built over decades: a globally trusted capability that protects people wherever the threat originates.”

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The team knows its path for its inaugural season in the Mountain West as the conference released the 2026 league schedule May 20.

The Rainbow Wahine will open their first Mountain West campaign with a challenging two-game road trip in Colorado. UH Mānoa kicks off conference play on September 24, taking on Colorado College. The team will then travel to face Air Force on September 27, wrapping up the opening week of Mountain West action.

Following a bye during the second week of conference play, the Rainbow Wahine will treat fans to their first-ever Mountain West home matches in early October. The historic home opener is set for October 7 against Nevada. The inaugural homestand continues later that week as the Rainbow Wahine welcome UTEP to the islands on October 11.

Mid-October will see the team embark on another road trip, this time heading to California. UH Mānoa is scheduled to play at San José State on October 15, before visiting former Big West foe UC Davis on October 18. Returning home, the Rainbow Wahine will face off against Grand Canyon on October 24.

The regular season will conclude with a crucial stretch of matches, beginning with back-to-back home games. UH Mānoa will host UNLV on October 28, followed by its home finale against New Mexico on November 1. The Rainbow Wahine will travel for their final regular-season contest, taking on Wyoming on November 7.

The Mountain West Women’s Soccer Championship scheduled for the week of November 8. All of UH Mānoa’s women’s soccer conference matches will be available live on the new Mountain West subscription streaming platform.

UH Mānoa’s non-conference matchups will be released at a later date.

University of �鶹��ý at Hilo Athletics took second place in the Pacific West Conference 2025–26 Bob Hogue Commissioner’s Cup with 43.5 total points for a 10.88 average.

Fall sports finishes:

• Women’s Soccer (No. 2)
• Men’s Soccer (No. 3)
• Women’s Volleyball (No. T3)
• Women’s Cross Country (No. 7)

The PacWest Commissioner’s Cup honors the athletic program with the strongest overall performance each academic year. Points are awarded based on regular-season conference standings for baseball, basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball with championship results counting for cross country, golf and tennis.

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University of �鶹��ý at Hilo players earned several postseason awards after finishing with a 12–6–2 overall record, and a 7–2–1 conference record.

Vulcans senior Koki Hamada was named to both the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region First Team and the D2 Conference Commissioners Association (CCA) All-West Region First Team.

Hamada was also named Pacific West Conference Defender of the Year, highlighting seven total All-PacWest Team selections that included PacWest Conference Newcomer of the Year Iago Perez Ferreiro and PacWest Conference Freshman of the Year Jakob Santiago.

Vulcans men’s soccer postseason awardees

Koki Hamada

• United Soccer Coaches All-West Region First Team
• D2 CCA All-West Region First Team
• PacWest Conference Defender of the Year
• All-PacWest First Team

Iago Perez Ferreiro

• PacWest Conference Newcomer of the Year
• All-PacWest First Team

Jakob Santiago

• PacWest Conference Freshman of the Year
• All-PacWest Second Team

Mirai Sato

• All-PacWest Second Team

Gen Takahashi

• All-PacWest Third Team

Felix Drizinsky

• All-PacWest Third Team

Paul Waschkau

• All-PacWest Third Team

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University of �鶹��ý at Hilo secured a spot in the NCAA postseason for the first time in program history. The Vulcans received the No. 9 seed in the NCAA Super 4 Region, and will take on No. 8 seed Western Oregon on November 21 at Stanislaus State’s Warrior Stadium. The winner will take on regional bracket host Stanislaus State on November 23.

The Vulcans qualified for the PacWest Championships postseason tournament for the second consecutive season under third-year head coach Diego Marroquin. After coming in second behind Point Loma, the Vulcans were one of five teams to land an at-large bid for the NCAA postseason.

UH Hilo earned seven All-PacWest Team spots with major awards going to Koki Hamada (Defender of the Year), Iago Perez Ferreiro (Newcomer of the Year) and Jakob Santiago (Freshman of the Year).

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University of �鶹��ý at Hilo earned a postseason berth after defeating �鶹��ý Pacific University, 3–0, on November 8, at the Waipiʻo Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

Entering the regular season finale, the Vulcans needed either a tie or a win in Pacific West Conference play to secure one of four spots in the conference tournament.

Scores by Annette Sotelo, Tatianna Chavez, and Elise Flores helped solidify the Vulcans’ victory. Lydia Keller recorded her eighth shutout of the season.

UH Hilo will join Azusa Pacific, Point Loma and Dominican in the PacWest Championships. The Vulcans take on Point Loma on November 13, and the winner will advance to the title match on November 15.

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University of �鶹��ý at Hilo senior Koki Hamada was named the Pacific West Conference Defender of the Week for October 13–19.

The Vulcans claimed two victories during the week, getting a 3-0 win over �鶹��ý Pacific University, followed by a 4-0 victory on Oʻahu at Chaminade.

The three-time All-PacWest Team selection has commanded the Vulcans defensive backline since starting the very first match of his collegiate career.

With the pair of wins, UH Hilo improved to 6-4-2 overall and 3-2-1 in the PacWest. The Vulcans return home for a pair of matches against the Point Loma Sea Lions (October 23) and Concordia Golden Eagles (October 25).

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University of �鶹��ý at Hilo forward Delaney Barbee was named the Pacific West Conference Player of the Week for October 13–19.

Barbee netted both of UH Hilo’s goals in its lone match of the week for a 2-0 non-conference win over �鶹��ý Pacific University at home.

The sophomore is in her first season with the Vulcans after transferring from the University of Idaho.

UH Hilo improved to 6-2-4 overall and 4-1-1 in the PacWest. The Vulcans remain home for a pair of matches against the Point Loma Sea Lions (October 23) and Concordia Golden Eagles (October 25).

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University of �鶹��ý at Hilo goalkeeper Lydia Keller was named the Pacific West Conference Defender of the Week for September 8–14.

The redshirt-sophomore recorded 16 saves through three games this past week, going 0-1-2 with two shutouts on the road.

Keller is in her first season with the Vulcans after previously spending two seasons at Idaho State.

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University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa goalkeeper Kennedy Justin earned a spot on the Hermann Trophy Preseason Watch List, awarded annually to the top collegiate women’s soccer players in the country by the United Soccer Coaches.

The player is one of just three goalkeepers to be named to the watch list and the only player overall from the Big West. Earlier in the preseason, she was named one of 13 goalkeepers to watch nationally.

Justin, the 2024 Big West Goalkeeper of the Year, was the first ever freshman to earn this award in its 22-year history and just the second UH Mānoa player to take home the honor. She is coming off of a redshirt freshman season in which she was named first-team All-West Region by the United Soccer Coaches while earning first-team All-Big West and All-Freshman honors.

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University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa midfielder Nalani Damacion was named to the United Soccer Coaches National Midfielders to Watch list after a record-setting freshman season in 2024.

Damacion, the 2024 Big West Midfielder of the Year, led the Rainbow Wahine with seven game-winning goals last season, the most by any NCAA freshman since 2015. Damacion tied for third nationally and first among freshmen in game-winning goals.

Her seven game-winners also matched the UH single-season record, tying Natasha Kai (2004) and Tiana Fujimoto (2013).

Damacion became the first player in conference history to earn Big West Freshman of the Week honors five times in one season, and also earned first-team All-Big West, Big West All-Freshman and United Soccer Coaches All-West Region honors.

The Rainbow Wahine will start the season on August 14 at Long Beach State. The home opener at Waipiʻo Peninsula Soccer Stadium is set for August 21 against Central Arkansas.

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Coming off its first Big West regular season title, the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa team was picked first in the 2025 Big West Preseason Coaches Poll. It marks the program’s first preseason No. 1 ranking since 2008.

The Rainbow Wahine also landed two players on the preseason all-conference team: midfielder Nalani Damacion and forward Amber Gilbert.

The team went 8-1-1 in Big West play, setting a school record for conference wins and posting the Big West’s best point total since 2016. The team also set program marks with a nine-match unbeaten streak and seven-match win streak.

Damacion, the 2024 Big West Midfielder of the Year, led all NCAA freshmen with seven game-winning goals. Goalkeeper Kennedy Justin earned Big West Goalkeeper of the Year honors and set a school record with 11 wins.

Head coach Michele Nagamine enters her 14th season after being named Big West Coach of the Year for the second time.

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The University of �鶹��ý at Hilo received a College Team Academic Award from United Soccer Coaches for their exemplary performance in the classroom with a grade point average (GPA) above 3.00 during the 2024–25 academic year.

The Vulcans combined to finish with a 3.54 team GPA and were just one of two teams listed from the Pacific West Conference.

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University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa goalkeeper Kennedy Justin was named one of just 13 players nationwide to the United Soccer Coaches Goalkeepers to Watch list. She is the only Big West Conference player to make the list.

Justin, the 2024 Big West Goalkeeper of the Year, had a historic freshman season, becoming the first freshman and second Rainbow Wahine to claim the conference’s top goalkeeping honor.

In her first season, Justin earned numerous awards, including first-team All-Big West, All-Freshman Team and first-team All-West Region honors from the United Soccer Coaches.

In Big West play, she allowed just one goal in 10 matches, posting a 0.62 goals-against average. She finished the season with 70 saves and earned Big West Defensive Player of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks.

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University of �鶹��ý at Hilo standout Teani Arakawa has been selected for the 2025–26 NCAA Division II Degree Completion Award, which supports student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility but need additional aid to finish their undergraduate degrees.

Arakawa finished her career with the Vulcans after transferring from South Dakota State University. She leaves UH Hilo as the all-time leader in points (81), goals (30), and assists (21), and is a two-time All-American, Academic All-American, and two-time PacWest Player of the Year.

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