The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo athletics program recently held their annual UH Hilo Vulcans Athletics 2023–24 All-Sports Banquet at The Arc of Hilo to recognize their student-athletes. During the event, several awards were presented to honor the achievements of the athletes and teams.
One of the highlights was the recognition of men’s golf player Nicholas Gomez and women’s golf player Kiersten Saludares as male and female athletes of the year, respectively. The men’s golf team also received recognition as the Vulcan Team of the Year for their outstanding performance throughout the season.
A new award, the Imua Vulcan award, was introduced to acknowledge male and female student-athletes who have shown significant progress in their athletic journeys. This year, men’s basketball player Kalique Mitchell and women’s soccer player Megan Donovan were honored with this award for their impressive improvement in their athletic careers.
David Mayser from the men’s soccer team and Filippa Graneld from the women’s soccer team were recognized as Joe and Harriet Estrella Male Scholar-Athlete and Sakai and Harue Wakakuwa Female Scholar-Athlete, respectively. These awards were given to student-athletes with the highest cumulative grade point average through at least five semesters as a Vulcan.
In addition to these individual awards, two teams received Ramon Goya Academic Teams of the Year recognition: the women’s cross country team for achieving an exceptional combined grade point average, and the women’s basketball team for maintaining a high standard of academic excellence throughout their season.
For a complete list of honorees from this event, visit HiloAthletics.com.
