water polo | University of Hawaiʻi System News /news News from the University of Hawaii Tue, 14 Apr 2026 02:39:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 /news/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cropped-UHNews512-1-32x32.jpg water polo | University of Hawaiʻi System News /news 32 32 28449828 Rainbow Wahine water polo captures 3rd straight Big West title, headed to nationals /news/2026/04/13/water-polo-3rd-straight-title/ Tue, 14 Apr 2026 02:39:11 +0000 /news/?p=232097 UH Mānoa secured its seventh conference tournament crown and claimed the Big West’s automatic berth to the National Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Championship.

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The University of 鶹ý at Mānoa earned its third consecutive Big West Championship title with a victory over Long Beach State in the tournament final, April 12.

Seven Rainbow Wahine players contributed to the scoring, and goalkeeper Daisy Logtens made nine saves to lead top-seeded UH Mānoa to a 14–9 win. Agatha Weston was named Big West Championship Most Valuable Player after scoring four goals for the ‘Bows.

The Rainbow Wahine secured their seventh conference tournament crown and claimed the Big West’s automatic berth to the National Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Championship set for April 24–26 in La Jolla, California.

UH Mānoa’s run of three consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament will be the longest in program history.

in a first-round match on April 24. The NCAA Tournament matches will be streamed on until the national championship match on April 26, which will be televised on ESPNU.

Read more at .

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Rainbow Wahine water polo’s Vernoux earns 2nd career weekly honor /news/2026/03/27/wahine-water-polo-vernoux-honor/ Sat, 28 Mar 2026 02:29:15 +0000 /news/?p=231383 UH Mānoa attacker Ema Vernoux was recognized by the Big West following a standout performance against USC.

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Ema Vernoux Big West Player of the Week graphic

University of 鶹ý at Mānoa attacker Ema Vernoux was named the Big West women’s water polo player of the week on March 25 following a standout performance against No. 3 USC.

The honor marks Vernoux’s second career selection. The sophomore matched her season high of five goals (0.625 shooting percentage) and recorded one assist and one steal against the Trojans on March 18.

Vernoux leads the team with 106 career goals and 138 points.

No. 6 UH Mānoa returns to action against UC Santa Barbara on March 28 at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex.

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Rainbow Wahine water polo goalkeeper named player of the week /news/2026/02/23/uh-water-polo-player-of-the-week/ Tue, 24 Feb 2026 01:19:13 +0000 /news/?p=229868 UH Mānoa’s Daisy Logtens was recognized after a standout performance at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational.

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Daisy Logtens Big West Player of the Week graphic

University of 鶹ý at Mānoa goalkeeper Daisy Logtens was named the Big West women’s water polo Player of the Week after an impressive showing at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational held February 13–15.

This marks Logtens’ second career weekly honor. The junior protected the cage with 24 saves and four steals to help the Rainbow Wahine go 2–1 in the tournament featuring six of the top seven teams in the national polls.

No. 5 UH Mānoa returns to action and begins Big West play against No. 10 UC Irvine on February 27, at the Anteater Aquatics Complex in Irvine, California.

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鶹ýMānoa water polo’s Weston named Big West Player of the Week /news/2026/01/26/manoa-weston-player-of-the-week/ Mon, 26 Jan 2026 22:15:51 +0000 /news/?p=228651 Rainbow Wahine Agatha Weston earned her first career weekly honor.

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Big West Player of the Week graphic

University of 鶹ý at Mānoa utility Agatha Weston was named Big West Women’s Water Polo Player of the Week following a strong weekend at the Fresno State Polopalooza.

Weston earned her first career weekly honor after scoring seven goals with a .368 shooting percentage and contributing a team-high eight steals and two field blocks to help the Rainbow Wahine post a 2–1 mark in the tournament.

Weston opened the weekend with a hat trick on .600 shooting, along with three steals and two field blocks in a win over No. 12 San Jose State. She then set a career-high with four goals against No. 5 Cal and closed the weekend by setting another career best with four steals in a win over No. 15 Michigan.

The ʻBows will resume action at the Triton Invitational from January 30 to February 1, at the Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla, California.

Read more at .

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Rainbow Wahine water polo picked first in Big West preseason poll /news/2026/01/12/wahine-water-polo-preseason-poll/ Mon, 12 Jan 2026 18:45:05 +0000 /news/?p=228098 Three Rainbow Wahine also earned preseason all-conference honors.

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Rainbow Wahine water polo

The University of 鶹ý at Mānoa team was voted first in the Big West Preseason Coaches’ Poll, positioning the Rainbow Wahine as early favorites heading into the 2026 season.

The team totaled 45 points and received five first-place votes in the poll with Long Beach State earning a close second with 44 points and two first-place votes. Daisy Logtens, Ema Vernoux and Agatha Weston were also named to the Big West Preseason Coaches Team.

Logtens earned her second consecutive preseason selection following a standout 2025 campaign. She received ACWPC All-America Third Team and All-Big West First Team honors after recording 209 saves and 35 steals, earning Big West Championship MVP honors during a dominant postseason run.

Vernoux, the reigning Big West Freshman of the Year, led the Rainbow Wahine with 78 goals and 98 points in 2025 while earning All-America honorable mention recognition. Weston returns after redshirting last season and previously earned All-Freshman Team honors in 2024.

Led by second-year head coach James Robinson, the defending Big West champions open the 2026 season on January 17, at the Fresno State Polopalooza in Fresno, California.

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Wahine water polo player nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year /news/2025/07/30/water-polo-woman-of-the-year/ Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:53:09 +0000 /news/?p=219395 Bernadette Doyle was named one of the Big Westʻs 2025 nominees.

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Bernadette Doyle NCAA Woman of the Year Nominee graphic

University of 鶹ý at Mānoa standout Bernadette Doyle has been named one of the Big West’s nominees for the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year award.

The award honors academic achievements, athletic excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three NCAA divisions.

Doyle’s selection marks the second time in the last three years that the Big West nominated a member of the UH water polo program for the award.

Over her career at UH Mānoa, Doyle was a part of three Big West championship teams and helped lead the Rainbow Wahine to back-to-back appearances in the National Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Championship semifinals in her junior and senior seasons.

Each conference forwards their top nominees for the award, and from those the top 30 honorees are selected and will be announced in October. Three finalists are chosen from each division, and the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then selects the NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be recognized in January.

Read more about Doyle at .

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Rainbow Wahine water polo earns All-America honors /news/2025/05/30/wahine-water-polo-all-america/ Sat, 31 May 2025 00:04:18 +0000 /news/?p=216948 The awards come after an NCAA Championship Final Four finish.

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Four action shots of water polo players
Bernadette Doyle, Jordan Wedderburn, Daisy Logtens, Ema Vernoux

Four standout players from the University of 鶹ý at Mānoa were named All-Americans by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches, following the team’s run to the NCAA Championship Final Four.

Bernadette Doyle and Jordan Wedderburn earned second-team honors, while Daisy Logtens made the third team, and Ema Vernoux received an honorable mention.

Doyle, the Big West Player of the Year, tallied 56 goals, 39 assists and a conference-best 55 steals. She became just the second UH Mānoa player ever to record more than 100 career goals, assists and steals.

Wedderburn finished with 68 goals in her senior season. She tied the program record with three Big West Player of the Week honors.

Logtens, a two-time All-American, led the conference with a 9.10 goals-against average and earned Big West Championship MVP honors with 209 saves.

Freshman Vernoux led the team with 78 goals—fourth-most in a single season in program history—and was named Big West Freshman of the Year.

The reigning Big West Champion Rainbow Wahine finished the season 22–5, reaching the NCAA semifinals for the second straight year under head coach James Robinson.

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鶹ýMānoa women’s water polo sweeps Big West awards /news/2025/05/06/womens-water-polo-big-west-awards/ Tue, 06 May 2025 22:26:32 +0000 /news/?p=215268 Women’s water polo swept the Big West Awards, with Bernadette Doyle named Player of the Year and Ema Vernoux Freshman of the Year.

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water polo players and All-Big West graphic

The University of 鶹ý at Mānoa swept the Big West’s major awards, and a total of seven members of the program received postseason recognition from the conference.

The Big West announced its 2025 awards on May 2. Bernadette Doyle’s all-around performance earned the senior conference Player of the Year honors in a voting of the league’s coaches. Ema Vernoux, the team’s leading goal scorer, was named the Freshman of the Year, and James Robinson was voted Coach of the Year in his first season leading the Rainbow Wahine.

Doyle and Vernoux, both attackers, also made the All-Big West First Team along with goalkeeper Daisy Logtens. Senior utility Jordan Wedderburn was a second-team selection and junior attacker Roni Perlman earned honorable mention recognition. Vernoux and attacker Gabrielle Doyle also made the All-Freshman team.

The Rainbow Wahine are preparing for the National Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Championship in Indianapolis. 鶹ýis the fourth-seed in the bracket and will face California in a first-round match on May 9 at the Indiana University Natatorium.

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Wahinekapu, Wedderburn, Schager named 2025 Bonham Award winners /news/2025/05/02/2025-bonham-award/ Sat, 03 May 2025 05:01:57 +0000 /news/?p=215101 The Jack Bonham Award was presented to Lily Wahinekapu (women’s basketball), Jordan Wedderburn (women’s water polo) and Brayden Schager (football).

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Wahinekapu, Wedderburn, Schager and Jack Bonham Award graphic

The Jack Bonham Award was presented to Lily Wahinekapu (), Jordan Wedderburn () and Brayden Schager (football) at the 12th annual H Awards on April 30. The Bonham Award is the University of 鶹ý Athletics Department’s highest individual honor.

Leadership on the court, in the pool and on the field, along with excellence in the classroom and service in the community link the 2025 recipients.

Lily Wahinekapu

female basketball
Lily Wahinekapu

ʻOhana has been at the core of Wahinekapu’s decorated three-year athletic and academic careers as a member of the Rainbow Wahine basketball program. Playing in front of family and friends in the arena and alongside her sister in the UH backcourt, Wahinekapu led the team in scoring each of her three seasons while helping the ‘Bows capture two Big West regular-season titles and a conference tournament championship on their way to three national postseason tournament appearances.

She was twice named to the All-Big West first team and in 2025 became the third UH player to be named Big West Player of the Year. She became the 25th member of the program’s 1,000-point club and ended her career 17th on the all-time scoring list. She also ranks seventh in made 3-pointers.

A team captain as a senior, Wahinekapu received the Ah Chew Goo Award as the program’s “most valuable team player.” In the classroom, she earned Academic All-Big West honors each of her three years at UH and was twice named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.

The product of Kāneʻohe, Wahinekapu also gave back to the Windward Oʻahu community in service projects including cleanups at Waimānalo Beach and Punaluʻu Loʻi. She also helped fundraise for the 鶹ý Foodbank as part of Maui wildfire relief efforts and has worked with special needs children with Team Impact.

“Lily Wahinekapu has been one of my favorite athletes to coach,” UH women’s basketball head coach Laura Beeman said. “She is passionate and an incredible teammate. She has represented the university and the state with pride.”

Jordan Wedderburn

female water polo player
Jordan Wedderburn

Prioritizing team success over individual accolades, Jordan Wedderburn has exemplified selfless leadership while contributing to the most successful four-year stretch in UH water polo history.

Wedderburn served as a team captain for South Africa’s water polo team in the Tokyo Olympic Games before enrolling at UH and has ranked among the team’s scoring leaders each of her four years while thriving in varying roles within the lineup. She further elevated her production as a senior, posting a career-high 65 goals entering the NCAA Championship to join UH’s career top 10. She also tied program records with three Big West Player of the Week awards this season and four in her career.

She has helped UH claim three Big West regular-season titles with a 26-1 cumulative record in conference play, and back-to-back Big West Championship crowns. She helped UH ascend to No. 2 in the national polls in 2024—the highest ranking in program history—and the ‘Bows have maintained a spot in the top three for much of this season.

“Jordan has always been the spirit of the team, providing energy in a positive manner whenever the team needs it,” UH water polo coach James Robinson said. “Jordan plays a role for this team that she never played before in her water polo career. Every year Jordan has had to make sacrifices and play a different role than she probably would like to, but she has never once complained.”

Wedderburn holds a 3.78 grade-point average while majoring in kinesiology and entered her senior year as a two-time Academic All-Big West and ACWPC All-Academic honoree.

She has served as a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative for two years and worked with Access Surf, helping those with physical or cognitive disabilities to swim or surf. She also participated in Kōkua Learning Farm work days and with the Child Life Program, spending time with children going through treatment for retinoblastoma (an eye cancer) and their families.

Brayden Schager

football player
Brayden Schager

On the field, Brayden Schager earned a place among UH’s storied line of quarterbacks over his career as a three-year starter. Off the field, his efforts to spread joy to young people with special needs—both in 鶹ý and his home state of Texas—drew national acclaim.

Schager made 37 starts at quarterback in his UH career, the second highest total in program history, including a record streak of 33 in a row. He picked up All-Mountain West honorable mention recognition in 2023 and closed his career ranked among the most prolific passers in program history at No. 4 in passing yards (9,096) and total offense (9,415). He’s also fifth in passing touchdowns (60) and touchdowns responsible for (68).

A three-time Academic All-Mountain West honoree, Schager was one of 11 FBS players nationally selected to the 2024 AFCA Good Works Team, which honored student-athletes for their unwavering commitment to community service and their “good works” off the field. He was also a semifinalist for the 2024 Wuerffel Award, considered college football’s premier honor for community service.

Throughout his stay in 鶹ý, he remained committed to organizing the Buddy Bowl, an event he founded with his sister in their hometown of Highland Park, Texas. The game gives athletes with physical and mental disabilities an opportunity to play with their peers with the support of fans, the Highland Park football team and cheerleaders. During his time in 鶹ý, he participated in the Unity Prom for special needs students and took part in the Night to Shine where he formed a close bond with a dear friend with special needs who he continues to call and text. He also helped develop the BraddahBall, with proceeds going to Maui relief efforts.

“He was a team captain for us and spent the last three years on our leadership committee,” UH football coach Timmy Chang said. “He has been a focal point of the program, not only on the field but off the field as well with his engagement within the community. … He is an exceptional individual and that was displayed during his time at the University of 鶹ý. Brayden Schager helped lay the foundation for the future of our program.”

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Water polo claims 2nd straight Big West Championship /news/2025/04/27/water-polo-big-west-champs-2025/ Sun, 27 Apr 2025 22:34:00 +0000 /news/?p=214601 The Rainbow Wahine will make the program’s eight appearance in the NCAA tournament.

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players smiling and holding up a large sign

Update April 28, 2025: The Big West champion University of 鶹ý women’s water polo team, seeded fourth in the nine-team NCAA Championship bracket, will open tournament play against California on May 9 in Indianapolis in a rematch of last year’s first-round meeting. For more, visit the .

Original story:

Powered by a stifling defensive performance, the claimed its second consecutive conference title with an 8-6 win over Long Beach State in the Big West Championship final on April 27 at the Anteater Aquatics Complex in Irvine, California.

The Rainbow Wahine broke out to an early lead, UH goalkeeper Daisy Logtens came up with 14 saves on her way to earning the tournament’s MVP award, and the Rainbow Wahine (21-4) claimed the Big West’s automatic berth to the National Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Championship with the program’s sixth Big West Championship title.

Seven UH players scored in the first half and the top-seeded ‘Bows shut out the second-seeded Beach over a span of 18 minutes, 24 seconds to take a 7-2 lead into the fourth quarter. Long Beach State made a push with three goals in the final period, but the ‘Bows maintained the lead and held off the Beach to celebrate back-to-back tournament titles for the first time in program history.

The Rainbow Wahine will make the program’s eighth appearance in the NCAA tournament set for May 9–11 in Indianapolis. The nine-team bracket will be revealed on April 27 at 2 p.m. 鶹ý time on ncaa.com.

For more, visit the .

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