Ruiz rises to associate head coach role ahead of second season at Hawai’i Pacific

Ruiz rises to associate head coach role ahead of second season at Hawai’i Pacific

Jun 21, 2026

Ruiz rises to associate head coach role ahead of second season at Hawai’i Pacific

Kyle Ruiz (left) works out with rising sophomore center Zane Gaul (right) during spring workouts. Ruiz was named the Sharks’ new associate HC on June 18. | Photo Credit: Mackenzie Ramirez, HPU Athletics

HONOLULU – Success always brings swings of change.

Following the program’s third-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025-26, the Hawaii Pacific University men’s basketball program saw a plethora of changes throughout the offseason.

The Sharks graduated six players from last year’s squad and watched 2nd-team All-PacWest selection Quentin Meza hit the portal, sending fourth-year head coach Jesse Nakanishi and his staff back to the drawing board to try to build out another winning unit.

If losing five of the team’s top seven scorers wasn’t enough to handle, HPU also saw the coaching staff scoured through by the Division I ranks as associate head coach Cam Flabel received interest from multiple west coast programs before returning to the Big Sky and his alma mater as an assistant coach at Idaho State.

After Flabel’s departure on May 18, Nakanishi and the Sharks conducted a search to solve the offseason’s biggest remaining question mark. For the second straight hiring cycle, HPU landed on an in-house answer as assistant coach Kyle Ruiz was officially elevated to the associate HC role on Thursday, June 18.

“I just really value Kyle,” Nakanishi said of the decision to promote the 28-year-old to the No. 2 chair. “He’s been a tireless worker … He puts in [so many hours], the guys like him, and his work speaks for itself.”

The familiarity with Nakanishi from last year pushed Ruiz ahead as well, giving the fourth-year head coach a sounding board that knew the program already as his right-hand man rather than an unknown candidate from outside the Sharks’ ecosystem.

“You never know, bringing in someone new, what you could get,” Nakanishi continued when talking about elevating Ruiz. “I know the work ethic I’m getting. The dedication, the passion and just the want to grow in this profession that he has … I’m excited about him.”

Ruiz joined HPU ahead of the 2025-26 season after spending two years as a graduate assistant with Western Oregon. He began his coaching career at Grossmont Community College as an assistant with focuses on game preparation and player development in 2022-23.

In his first year with the Sharks, he assisted with player evaluations and scouting while leading strength and conditioning training along with his other day-to-day duties. As the season progressed, Ruiz’s responsibilities grew, and he developed as a coach.

“I’m extremely thankful for Coach Nakanishi’s belief in me,” Ruiz said after the promotion. “It was a huge blessing to work with great people and great coaches like [Nakanishi and Cam Flabel]. They both played huge roles in my own development, and I can’t wait for the opportunity to get back to work with our group this year!”

In the second chair for the Sharks, Ruiz will serve as recruiting coordinator, oversee pieces of scheduling, engage in sponsor/donor relations and continue the program’s community outreach programs. He will also remain as the strength and conditioning coach while assisting in scouting and game preparation.

Ruiz’s promotion nearly wraps up the offseason for the Sharks, who added six players via transfer along with a high school standout after seeing more than a handful of departures from last year’s roster.

Hawai‘i Football Continues to Build as Fall Camp Progresses

Hawai‘i Football Continues to Build as Fall Camp Progresses

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Moanalua rallies late to snatch Division I state flag football title from Mililani

Moanalua rallies late to snatch Division I state flag football title from Mililani

May 17, 2026

Moanalua rallies late to snatch Division I state flag football title from Mililani

The Moanalua girls’ flag football team poses together after winning the 2026 HHSAA/Hawaii Dental Service Division I state championship over Mililani. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

MILILANI – Delayed but not denied.

A year after falling just short of Hawai’i’s first-ever girls’ flag football state crown, Na Menehune can hoist the Koa Head Trophy they came so close to in 2025.

Powered by a plethora of talented returners, Moanalua (16-1) used a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns and a stingy defensive performance to sneak by Mililani (10-7-1) in the 2026 HHSAA/Hawaii Dental Service Girls’ Flag Football Division I state championship game at Mililani High School on Saturday night, 13-6.

Moanalua QB Breidi-Ann Higa completed 16-of-30 passes for 148 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on the way to earning All-Tournament team honors for Na Menehune. It wrapped up an unbelievable freshman campaign for Higa, who led the state with 75 touchdown passes to go along with her 4,052 passing yards.

Saturday was far from an offensive showcase for the fabulous freshman though, seeing her held to 72 passing yards through the first three quarters with no touchdowns and an interception. Higa figured out the Mililani defense in the fourth quarter, going for 76 yards and two passing scores in the final 12 minutes to help rally Na Menehune to a title.

Mililani struck after Higa’s interception set the Trojans up near midfield, seeing QB Zenn Nelson cap off a quick six-play scoring drive with a 4-yard TD strike to sophomore Zayah Solmirin to go up 6-0 with 4:25 remaining in the opening quarter.

After the teams traded stops for the next three quarters, Moanalua finally evened up the Division I championship score as Higa marched Na Menehune down the field and hit junior WR Qingstinn Rose Yoshihara for a 3-yard TD with 8:37 left to play.

Sophomore star Jodie Keo, who has led Na Menehune in catches, yards and touchdown receptions for the past two seasons, was held in check for most of the night before breaking free for her lone catch of the game in the final minute, hauling in a go-ahead 25-yard touchdown for Moanalua with 38 seconds to play. Keo also made the All-Tournament team, one of five Na Menehune players to receive the honors.

Sophomore WR/DB Ioarana Simanu was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and made her impact felt on both sides of the ball on Saturday night, leading Moanalua with five catches for 65 yards on offense while tacking on eight flag pulls, a pass breakup and her 13th interception of the year on defense.

Denied of repeating as OIA champions this year, Moanalua entered the HHSAA Division I state bracket as an unseeded wildcard with an opening round matchup against 2025 state runner-up Leilehua.

Given a chance to atone for last year’s heartbreaking upset against the Mules in the state quarterfinal, Moanalua squeezed out a 19-13 victory over Leilehua in the first round and handled No. 3 Konawaena in the 2026 quarterfinals with a 25-14 win.

Simanu and Keo each went for over 100 yards and two touchdowns against the Wildcats and followed it up in the semifinals against defending state champion Campbell with a combined 11 catches for 184 yards and three touchdowns as the entire state continued to search for the answers to stopping the Moanalua dynamic duo.

Mililani had a few counters, helping result in the M&M championship matchup being the lowest scoring game in the Division I bracket. The Trojans stymied Na Menehune’s offense to the tune of a season-low 13 points, but the Mililani attack couldn’t muster up a second score and ultimately fell in the defensive duel.

Despite being held in check for most of the night, Moanalua head coach Ladd Mokiao said his confidence never wavered in his group to rally as the final 12 minutes hit.

“With this team, anything’s possible,” Mokiao said. “I knew that if the defense could just keep us hanging around and just let me and the offense just figure it out, sooner or later we was going to get that thing in the end zone.”

QB Zenn Nelson did a little bit of everything for Mililani in the loss, throwing for 47 yards, a touchdown and an interception while rushing for 46 yards. The junior was one of three Trojans to earn All-Tournament team honors with teammates Alizae Royelle Maialoha and Lilyanah-Tiare Tavale.

Tavale had five flag pulls and an interception for the Trojans in the championship against Moanalua while Maialoha had the last of her 9.0 sacks in the tournament on Saturday night along with three more flag pulls in the loss.

Senor athlete Zaira Sugui had a game-high 12 pulls for Moanalua and added a sack along with a pass breakup on the way to earning All-Tournament recognition. Sophomore rusher Styralynn Hoakalei Reyes had seven flag pulls and 2.0 sacks in the championship for Na Menehune, joining four other Moanalua players on the All-Tournament team roster.

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Kapolei mashes Maryknoll to claim Division II state flag football crown

Kapolei mashes Maryknoll to claim Division II state flag football crown

May 17, 2026

Kapolei mashes Maryknoll to claim Division II state flag football crown

The Kapolei girls’ flag football team together after winning the 2026 HHSAA/Hawaii Dental Service Division II state championship over Maryknoll. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

MILILANI – For the Hurricanes, claiming the program’s first state title was about understanding a simple equation.

A + B = C

Obviously talking about Amisone plus Brooks equals championship celebration.

The Kapolei Hurricanes varsity girls’ flag football team completed a dominant run to a state crown on Saturday night, defeating Maryknoll (10-2) in the 2026 HHSAA/Hawaii Dental Service Girls’ Flag Football Division II state championship game at Mililani High School, 77-19.

Kapolei (15-1) picked up 26 first downs and tallied nearly 600 yards of total offense in the demolition of the Spartans, seeing senior QB Taimane Amisone dazzle from start to finish as she completed 37-of-44 passes for 464 yards and a season-best eight touchdown passes in her final high school game.

The Hurricanes hustled out to a 13-0 lead and took a 38-7 advantage by halftime, seeing Amisone connect with sophomore receiver Bayle Brooks on three separate occasions in the second quarter for touchdowns. Brooks completed her first half hat trick of scores with a 59-yard scamper to the end zone, part of a 13-catch, 217-yard, three-touchdown night overall for the Kapolei sophomore.

Not far behind Brooks was fellow sophomore Kaylyce Kauwe, who racked up 11 receptions for 139 yards and three touchdowns herself in the Division II state title game. Her first score was the final TD of the first half and her third touchdown was the final time finding paydirt for either side.

“All of my slots and my receivers, they did their jobs and all of them showed out,” Amisone said after the win. “I’m just so proud of all of them.”

The win officially claimed the first state title in football (tackle OR flag) in Kapolei history.

Kapolei celebrates after climbing to the top of the Division II ranks for the program’s first state title. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Amisone wrapped up her senior campaign with 4,681 yards through the air, tallying an absurd 74 touchdown passes to nine interceptions while leading the way through a nearly flawless season for the Hurricanes.

Kapolei’s offense was a buzzsaw throughout the 2026 season, posting 45+ points in 10 of the 15 games played and scoring no less than 33 points through all four wins in the HHSAA Division II tournament. The 77 points by the Hurricanes was the highest output of the season, surpassing a 66-point outing back on March 24 against Radford.

(Note: Kapolei won via forfeit against Dreamhouse on Friday, March 27.)

Maryknoll QB Puaena Herrington wrapped up her high school career by completing 21-of-40 passes in the loss, tossing three touchdowns and an interception while racking up 285 passing yards. Fellow senior Zoe Silva made her mark in her high school finale, going for 11 catches and a game-best 230 yards with all three touchdowns for the Spartans while adding a game-high 11 flag pulls.

Amisone was named the D2 tournament’s Most Outstanding Player while Kauwe and Brooks each claimed spots on the All-Tournament team for Kapolei alongside Aydrianah Kam, who terrorized the Maryknoll backfield all night with 3.0 sacks.

Herrington, Silva and senior teammate Caleigh Kaio also earned spots on the All-Tournament team for the Spartans.

Kapolei celebrates a state title in girls’ flag football. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Roosevelt debuts brand new gym with four-set win over Kalaheo

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Sep 10, 2026

MAKIKI — There was no scenario where the home team didn’t win this match. Roosevelt made sure the first contest in its new gymnasium was a victory as the Rough Riders came away with a four-set win over visiting Kalaheo Wednesday night in an OIA Division-I East...

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CSUN steals Senior Night win in Hawai’i behind Christopher’s complete game

CSUN steals Senior Night win in Hawai’i behind Christopher’s complete game

May 16, 2026

CSUN steals Senior Night win in Hawai’i behind Christopher’s complete game

Hawai’i INF Taylor Takata smacks one of his three hits on Senior Night. | Photo Credit: Riley Guillermo, HSRN

HONOLULU – On a night meant to celebrate 17 seniors from the University of Hawai’i, it was a CSUN senior that stole the show.

Matadors’ senior right-hander Adam Christopher (4-3) spun a gem in his final collegiate outing, dealing out 120 pitches and giving up just one run on six hits in a complete game victory to help CSUN (25-28, 12-18 Big West) spoil Hawai’i’s Senior Night celebrations on Friday, 8-1.

Christopher struck out 12 batters and only walked one, limiting a Rainbow Warrior offense that had put up 11 runs on 19 hits in the previous two days against the Matadors to a single score in the 5th inning and six total hits.

With two victories already in hand against CSUN, Hawai’i (27-22, 16-14 Big West) clinched the fourth seed in next week’s conference tournament entering Friday night and did not have a chance to move up or down in the final standings regardless of the result in the season finale against the Matadors.

The Rainbow Warriors took the opportunity to put a plethora of the 17 departing seniors on display at Les Murakami Stadium one last time, getting a majority of the group into the game for at least one full inning.

“Senior Night is always an emotional night,” head coach Rich Hill said following the Rainbow Warrior regular season wrapping up. “Tonight, we had an opportunity to showcase [the seniors] and they had an opportunity to showcase themselves in front of family, friends and the great fans of Hawai’i.”

Hawai’i’s Class of 2026 seniors pose together at Les Murakami Stadium one last time. | Photo Credit: Riley Guillermo, HSRN

Despite having seven senior options to start, standout freshman hurler Brody Martin-Grudzielanek was tabbed to take the ball to begin on Friday night. The 6-foot-5 righty pitched a pair of scoreless innings, facing the minimum six batters and picking up a strikeout before handing the ball over to sophomore Grant Garman in the third.

Garman was greeted by a solo homerun from CSUN’s Will Linberg, putting the Matadors ahead for the first time all weekend after being held scoreless over the first two games of the series. The sophomore southpaw settled in afterwards, only walking one while retiring the other six batters that he faced in his two innings of work.

Liam O’Brien was the first of five seniors to pitch for Hawai’i on the night, giving up a run on a hit and two walks while striking out one in his lone inning of work. Saul Soto followed, struggling slightly with command and soft contact luck as he allowed three runs in 0.2 innings of action.

Dylan Waite, a Baldwin HS alum from Wailuku, Maui, dazzled in his 1.1 innings of work, getting out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the top of the sixth before striking out the side in the seventh to match his career high with three strikeouts out of the bullpen.

Josiah Shipley was tabbed for three more runs (2 ER) in the top of the eighth after hitting a batter, walking another and giving up two base knocks in 0.2 innings. Zacary Tenn helped extinguish the flames in the eighth, inducing a flyout to end the inning before giving way to the final senior of the night, Ryan Inouye.

Inouye, a side-winding right-hander from Kailua who spent the past three seasons at Division II as the closer for Hawaii Pacific, gave up a single immediately after entering but recovered quickly with his lone strikeout of the night and wrapped up the 9th without any damage.

Senior outfielder Gabe Wright had the lone RBI on the night for Hawai’i, driving in fellow senior Taylor Takata in the bottom of the 5th with an infield single. Takata enjoyed an excellent final night in the Les, going 3-for-3 while scoring the lone run for the Rainbow Warriors.

Hawai’i INF Taylor Takata crosses home plate on Senior Night. | Photo Credit: Riley Guillermo, HSRN

With a spot in the opening round elimination game already locked in, Hawai’i awaits an opponent with the fifth and final spot in the Big West Championship still up for grabs. Cal State Fullerton needs a victory on Saturday against UC San Diego to clinch the last invite to the postseason party.

A loss by the Titans would result in a tie in the standings between CSUF and UC Davis, resulting in the Aggies clinching the final spot in the Big West Championship by virtue of tiebreakers.

Hawai’i will take Saturday off for the school’s graduation before getting back to practice on Sunday. The Rainbow Warriors leave for the continent on Monday and will have time for a practice on Tuesday before kicking off the 2026 Big West Championship in Irvine, California on Wednesday.

“We’ll be ready,” said Hill ahead of the postseason. “We’ve got a really good schedule that just worked out … so yeah, we’ll be ready.”

PHOTOS BY RILEY GUILLERMO

Hawai‘i Football Continues to Build as Fall Camp Progresses

Hawai‘i Football Continues to Build as Fall Camp Progresses

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MĀNOA - The University of Hawai‘i football team continues to work its way through fall camp with head coach Timmy Chang encouraged by the progress he’s seeing across the roster. With the season opener drawing closer, the Rainbow Warriors remain...

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High-flying wing Franciz Wai finds new home with Hawaii Pacific

High-flying wing Franciz Wai finds new home with Hawaii Pacific

May 15, 2026

High-flying wing Franciz Wai finds new home with Hawaii Pacific

Photo Credit: Western Oklahoma Athletics

HONOLULU – The Sharks found their Wai.

The Hawaii Pacific University men’s basketball team picked up a commitment from 6-foot-7 wing Franciz Wai on Thursday, adding a high-motor, athletic forward to the program’s recruiting reload. The former Western Oklahoma forward spent two years with the Pioneers, averaging 8.7 points and 4.4 rebounds across 32 games last season.

Wai, who hails from Australia originally, provides an intriguing developmental piece for fourth-year head coach Jesse Nakanishi and the Sharks after two years at the junior college level.

The 6-foot-7 forward began playing basketball at the age of 17, displaying a 6-foot-11 wingspan for coaches to dream about while providing extreme effort to make up for his late entry to the sport.

“Franciz is a unique talent joining our program,” Nakanishi said in a press release on May 14 after Wai’s signing became official. “His ability to impact winning with his athleticism, motor and defensive prowess will make him a fan favorite.”

Wai shot 50.5% from the field and hit nearly 76% of his free throws last season at Western Oklahoma while almost doubling his scoring output from his freshman campaign. He also made his presence felt at the defensive end, racking up 21 steals and 26 blocks as a sophomore forward.

He scored 10+ points in 16 of his 32 appearances last season and topped out with a 20-point, 5-rebound, 4-steal game in a blowout win over Loyalty College Prep. Wai had nine games with at least one block and one steal and tallied a pair of five-rejection games for the Pioneers as a sophomore.

Hawaii Pacific also picked up former USCB guard Evan Kilminster, Northern Iowa forward Marino Dubravčić and Husson wing Eric Ahlers II in this recruiting cycle. All three players will be expected to have heavy impacts on the Sharks’ rotation next winter.

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Three players to watch as Hawai’i hosts San Jose State

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