Honolulu, HI - Hawaii Pacific University hosted their annual Sharky's award ceremony this past Monday, April 7th, at Aloha Tower. It was a night to commemorate all of the hard work that these student athletes have put towards excelling in their sport while balancing academics.

The first award was the Shark in the dark award which went to athletic trainer Hailey Rockwood for her daily contributions to the HPU athletics teams to keep student athletes healthy and ready to compete.

The Mens tennis team won moment of the year for their match against UH, which they won. Any time an HPU team can beat our crosstown rivals, it is a huge accomplishment and the Mens tennis team was able to knock them off this January en route to this well deserved award.

The HPU baseball team collected many awards as Bronson Rivera won Newcomer of the year. In his first year in the conference Rivera has already broken the single season home run record for HPU. In addition to his 15 homeruns, Rivera leads the team with 51 runs scored and boasts a .387 batting average.

Senior Makana Quia received male athlete of the year. Quia has a fastball that tops out at 96 miles per hour and has provided stability in the Sharks bullpen all year long, striking out 29 batters in 23 innings pitched. Opposing hitters have managed just a .210 batting average against him.

Senior captain Daniel Johnson won Shark of the Year for his contributions both on and off the field. Johnson has been a rock for the Sharks, logging innings both at catcher and first base. He is the ultimate competitor and teammate, leading the team in home runs last year while also being top 10 in the country for most sacrifice bunts. Additionally, what he lacks in speed he makes up for in baseball instincts stealing 10 bases last year and adding 5 more this year. Off the field, Johnson is the SAAC representative for the baseball team and also one of the leaders for FCA. 

Senior Isabella Fernandez of the Acro team won female athlete of the year. The Senior who is a base and tumbler has been a key member of the Acro team, and has won awards from the NCATA throughout her career as a Shark. She is also an honor role student, pursuing a degree in nursing.

There was a lot to celebrate at Sharky's this year, a testament to the hard work from the HPU student athletes who successful balance their athletics and academics while representing the school in a positive light.