One Hawaii Hilo player wrapping up a brilliant career and another that is a star on the rise have been named today to the Pacific West Conference All-Hawaii Pod team.
Senior Kim Schmelz and junior guard Mandi Kawaha were selected to the six-person team made up of Hawaii schools only. All-SoCal and All-NorCal teams were also selected, along with specialty awards that covered all three divisions.
Schmelz and Kawaha joined Hawaii Pacific's Amy Baum, Olivia West, Alysha Marcucci and Ally Bates on the Hawaii Pod team. Baum was also a repeat selection as the PacWest Player of the Year. Alex Lowden of Azusa Pacific was named the Defensive Player of the Year, APU's Kayla Shaw is the Newcomer of the Year and HPU's Reid Takatsuka is the PacWest Coach of the Year.
Schmelz, who also earned honorable mention All-PacWest honors as a sophomore in 2016-17, wrapped up an admirable career with a 29-point game at Chaminade last weekend. Schmelz worked around a major knee injury that sidelined her for almost two full seasons. She began her Vulcan career in 2015-16, averaging 12 points a game as a freshman and by the time she was finished last weekend, she had compiled 1,041 points, second all-time on the Vulcan list.
The Sacramento native finished with a career scoring average of 12.54, fifth best at UHH. She tallied 153 free throws (6th), and 109 three-pointers (4th). This year in 12 games, she led the Vulcans with a 14.0 scoring average and nailed 23 of 25 free throw attempts (92 percent). In that 29-point finale, she equaled her career scoring best for a game and her seven treys in the contest equaled the school record.
Hilo native Mandi Kawaha (Hilo High School) had another banner year as a junior (a year that she gets back, she will be a junior again next year). The 5-foot-2 guard averaged 12 points a game and paced the Vulcans in steals (17) and assists with 51 (4.25 per game). She had season-bests in her final game of the year against Chaminade with 19 points and eight assists. Earlier this season, she almost had a triple-double against No. 2 nationally ranked Hawaii Pacific with ten points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
In two seasons and a 12-game slate this year, the three-year starter now has 606 points (seventh on the Vulcan career list) and she has 241 assists, second all-time at UHH. Her 100 steals is fourth on the Vulcan career list.
