Kiersten Saludares of the UH-Hilo women’s golf team was named Pacific West Conference Freshman of the Year.
Alli Kim, a graduate student who served as a Point Loma assistant coach last season, is the PacWest Player of the Year. Holy Names coach Eric Frazzetta, who led the Hawks to the conference championship in their final year of existence, is the Coach of the Year.
Those awards and the three All-PacWest teams were voted on by the conference’s coaches.
Alli Kim began her Point Loma career in 2018-19, where she finished second at the PacWest Championships and won four tournaments during the season. She was named the Point Loma Female Athlete of the Year. In 2021-22, after earning her undergrad degree, she stayed with the program as an assistant coach.
Kim won four straight tournaments at one point during the season and has been listed as high as fourth in the country according to GolfStat rankings. She is currently sixth in Division II and first in the NCAA West/South Region with a 18-hole average score of 73.50 heading into the NCAA Super Regional Championships, which begin May 8-10th in Dallas, Texas.
UH-Hilo’s Kiersten Saludares didn’t put up Kim-type numbers yet, but the conference’s coaches thought enough of the Hilo native to proclaim her Freshman of the Year.
The Waiakea HS alumnus had a 79.50 stroke average on the season, and was in contention at the PacWest Championships in Arizona after shooting 75-78 on the opening two days of the tournament. She finished tied for tenth to earn all-tournament honors.
Saludares’ senior teammate and fellow Waiakea grad, Tia Kuali’i, was named to the All-PacWest second team.
Holy Names head coach Eric Frazzetta led his Hawks team to the PacWest championship in their last possible chance to do so. With the university closing its doors in June, Frazzetta’s squad stunned the field by winning their first-ever PacWest women’s golf title in their final opportunity.
HNU’s Lavinia Romito won medalist honors with a consistent tourney of 77-77-77, also the first Hawks to ever hoist that trophy. Frazzetta’s team topped Point Loma by six strokes, and they are not done yet after qualifying for the Super Regionals next week.
It is an experienced group on the All-PacWest Teams, with Kim, Dominican’s Angelica Antonio and Biola Brady Turnquist each making the team for the third time. Joining that trio on the First Team is Biola’s Madison Voisard and Holy Names’ Ebba Wernered.
Point Loma’s Raquel Prado (Second Team) and Dominican’s Claire Shubin (Third Team) also picked up the third All-PacWest awards of their careers.