Vartic heading to Ninth Island, signs with UNLV
Luca Vartic — once touted as the Big Island’s top college football prospect from the class of 2016 — finally has a Division I home in the Football Bowl Subdivision or Division I.
After two years at Arizona Western JC, Vartic made it official and signed with UNLV on Wednesday during the early period.
Vartic made a name for himself in the BIIF as a speedy, shutdown defensive back at Konawaena and was a standout track athlete as well. He transferred to Saint Louis his senior year, but didn’t see the field much as a Crusader.
He will play safety for Rebels and is expected to compete for a starting job. Vartic reportedly also had offers on the table from Hawaii and Washington State.
During his last season with the Matadors, Vartic notched 44 tackles from his safety spot.
Wahine fall to Aggies in Las Vegas tourney
The UH Rainbow Wahine basketball team had trouble with No. 19 Texas A&M’s height and the scoring ability of Khaalia Hillsman, who was unstoppable on Wednesday in the Duel in the Desert tournament in Las Vegas.
The senior center scored 25 points on 12 of 12 shooting, and the Aggies dismantled the Wahine 103-59 in a lopsided contest that was never close. Texas A&M led 30-12 after the first quarter and 57-27 at halftime.
The Aggies (10-2) outrebounded UH (6-5) by a whopping margin, 45-22.
Sarah Toeaina and Makenna Woodfolk each scored 10 points to lead the Wahine.
Hawaii concludes its three-game road trip on Friday against No. 10 Oregon (9-2) in the UNLV-hosted event. The Wahine finish out the nonconference season at the Stan Sheriff Center on Dec. 30 with Hawaii Pacific in a 7 p.m. game.
UHH’s Navarette earns PacWest honor
UH-Hilo’s Allie Navarette has been named the PacWest Conference Freshman of the Week for basketball.
In a 69-66 win over Douglas on Tuesday, Navarette had 12 points and 11 rebounds. In the final minute, the Torrance, Calif. native made a layup to earn a three-point lead with 40 seconds left. She blocked a 3-pointer that would have sent the game to overtime, leading the Vulcans to their third victory this year.
On Saturday Navarette had 21 points and five rebounds in a 69-67 loss to Chaminade, giving her 33 points and 16 rebounds over the long weekend.
BISA softball camp applications
Applications for the Big Island Sports Academy’s softball camp may be picked up at all McDonald’s in West Hawaii, Kailua-Kona’s Old Airport gym, and at SportsLine in Hilo.
The camp will be held Friday-Saturday at the Old Airport Park for girls ages 10-18 years old, featuring UH-Hilo softball coach Callen Perreira and his staff.
Entry fee is $100, which includes T-shirt, camp photo, lunch, and player evaluation and insurance.
For more information, email Bill Trumbo at billtrumbo@gmail.com.