HONOLULU (May 9, 2016) – In what turned out to be a down-to-the-wire competition, Hawaii Pacific University and BYU-Hawaii finished in a tie for the inaugural PacWest Hawaii Challenge Championship following the completion of the spring sports season.
 
HPU and BYU-Hawaii amassed 30 points apiece, while UH Hilo (22 points) and Chaminade (16 points) rounded out the standings. The Challenge was created to elevate the Hawaii-based rivalries within the PacWest Conference and recognize the high level of competition between local member institutions.
 
The nine sports composing the PacWest Hawaii Challenge include: women's cross country, volleyball, soccer, softball and tennis; men's soccer and golf; and men's and women's basketball. A perpetual trophy will be shared by the Seasiders and Sharks and passed on annually to the competition's winner with the trophy being presented by the other athletic directors at the winning school's campus.
 
"We've developed fierce rivalries for years against our Hawaii counterparts. Formalizing the PacWest Hawaii Challenge represents a fun and exciting way to measure how we are doing while also showcasing our student-athletes and teams in the Islands," said HPU executive director of athletics Vince Baldemor.

The scoring system is based on the following criteria:
 
>>Points are awarded for head-to-head conference matchups in women's volleyball, soccer, basketball and softball as well as men's soccer and basketball. Two points are awarded for every win, while one point is earned with a tie and losses net zero points. At the conclusion of each sport's season, schools are ranked in order of points earned. The institution with the highest point total receives four points toward the cumulative standings, while second-, third- and fourth-place finishers receive three, two and one points, respectively. Postseason competitions do not factor in the point tallies.
  
>>For women's cross country, tennis and men's golf, points are awarded based on how the teams finish at the PacWest Conference Championships. Regular-season matchups will not play a role in scoring since these teams do not have consistent matchups against each other. The highest-ranking team in each sport after the championship tournament receives four points, while three points go to the runner-up, two to the third-place finisher and one point for fourth place.

>>Scores from the nine sports will be tabulated to determine an overall champion. Head-to-head tiebreakers do not exist, so teams that finish with the same number of points within an individual season all earn the appropriate point totals toward the season-long standings. The maximum number of points possible is 36.  

Sports information directors from the four schools assisted by confirming and updating scores and promoting the challenge. HPU managed the master calendar and scoring chart with any discrepancies being addressed and resolved by the athletic directors.