HILO, Hawai'i – The Reigning Pacific West Conference Champion Hawai'i Hilo Women's Golf team welcomes three newcomers and a 10-event season slate that gets started early Monday morning in the Pacific Northwest.
Hawai'i Hilo opens the fall schedule at Saint Martin's Bob Grisham Memorial Shootout in DuPont, Washington (Sept. 21-22) and Seattle Pacific's Falcon Invitational in Covington (Sept. 25-26). Graduated senior Kiersten Saludares took the individual win at last year's Grisham Memorial Shootout.
Among the team's five returners are Kailee McKee (No. 9 at PacWest Championships), Kieran Florino (carded a 73 in the final 18 at PacWest), Jaylen Wan, Erica Yokomoto and Kiara Kimata.
The Vulcans will compete at the Westmont Invitational (Oct. 12-13) in Goleta, California before closing the fall slate on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island with the Punahele Jerky Company Inc. Invitational (Oct. 26-27) — previously the Dennis Rose Intercollegiate — and HPU Sharks Shootout (Oct. 30-31).
In the spring, Hawai'i Hilo will host a new event on O'ahu at Barber's Point Golf Course — the Vulcan Spring Invitational — on Feb. 15-17.
Other spring competition includes: LA Spring Kickoff (Feb. 8-9), CSUSM Fujikura Invitational (March 8-9), WT Desert Invitational (March 29-30) and RJGA Palm Valley Classic (April 1-3). PacWest Championships will be held April 19-21 on O'ahu.
The Vulcans enter year No. 23 under head coach Jim DeMello after capturing the program's second conference title this past spring at Aliante Golf Club in North Las Vegas, Nevada.
2026-27 WOMEN'S GOLF ROSTER
- Roster Total: 8
- Seniors: 0
- Upperclassmen: 2
- Returners: 5
- Newcomers: 3
- Freshmen: 3
- 2025-26 Departures: 3 (3 Graduated / Exhausted Eligibility)
NEWCOMERS HOME STATE/COUNTRY
The PacWest Conference is now composed of 10 teams after the departures of Menlo and Fresno Pacific to the CCAA and Azusa Pacific to NCAA Division III — although of those three schools, only Menlo sponsored a women's golf team.
The incoming class arrives as the NCAA Division II Executive Committee recently adopted emergency legislation establishing an age-based eligibility model to allow student-athletes up to five seasons of competition.
5'0 | FR | 'Aiea, HI | 'Aiea HS
» 2026 graduate of 'Aiea High School (Hawai'i)
» Honors: 2025 O'ahu Interscholastic Association All-Stars West Second Team
Major: Biology
5'0 | FR | Hilo, HI | Hilo HS
» 2026 graduate of Hilo High School (Hawai'i)
Major: Kinesiology & Exercise Sciences
5'2 | FR | Las Vegas, NV | Northwest Career and Technical Academy
» 2026 graduate of Northwest Career and Technical Academy (Nevada)
» Four seasons of varsity golf at Shadow Ridge High School for coach Steven Huesch
» 2022 Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association 4A Individual State Champion, 2022 NIAA 4A Team State Champion
Major: Biology
