The defending Pacific West Conference Champions have announced their roster for the 2023-24 season, which includes the 2023 BIIF champion and runner-up — respectively, Dysen Park and Kevin Yamashita.
The Vulcans will have more than double the opportunity to compete this season on the links at home with five events set to take place on the west side of the Big Island.
UH-Hilo Men’s Golf will once again host the annual Dennis Rose Intercollegiate and Amer Ari Intercollegiate in Waimea. Also in the fall will be a tri-match between all three Hawai‘i schools and the HPU Sharks Shootout. The PacWest Championship will also be played on Hawai‘i island next spring.
The Vulcans will open the fall slate in Washington with the Saint Martin’s University Bishop Invitational (Sept. 22-23) and the Western Washington University Invitational (Sept. 25-26).
The spring schedule will include stops at CSUSB’s Battle in the Desert, Cal State East Bay’s Tim Tierney Pioneer Shootout and Stanislaus State’s Hanny Stanislaus Invitational.
The PacWest Championship is set for April 15-17 at the Mauna Lani Golf Course.
UH-Hilo will look to reload after losing five golfers — four to graduation/exhausted eligibility — with five new additions for the upcoming school year. The Vulcans have added three freshmen and two transfers.
Returning to the squad will be fifth-year senior Nicholas Gomez as well as sophomore Junsu Im, who claimed a share of the individual 2022-23 PacWest Championship and was named PacWest Conference Freshman of the Year.
Earl Tamiya is entering the 32nd season as UH-Hilo Men’s Golf head coach.
Dysen Park
Between May and July of this year, the 2023 Waiakea HS graduate helped lead the Warriors to a BIIF title, state title and No. 5 finish at the PGA national high school championship.
Park was also a two-time BIIF individual champion, winning in 2022 and 2023. At the 2023 HHSAA state championship, he placed No. 5 — helping lead the Warriors to their first state title since 2003.
At the national championship, he and teammate Noah Otani finished among a seven-way tie for 38th place — becoming the first-ever golfers from Hawai‘i to place among the tournament’s top 40.
Kevin Yamashita
A 2023 Kealakehe HS graduate, Yamashita trailed Park at the ‘23 BIIF championship, finishing at No. 2.
At state, he placed No. 16 to lead the Waveriders to a No. 5 team finish during their first team trip to the state championship since 2009.
Outside of school, Yamashita was the 2022 HSJGA Tournament of Champions Champion and represented Team Hawai’i in Junior America’s Cup in 2022 and 2023.
Yamashita told UH-Hilo that he chose to join the Vulcans because he “wanted to stay close to home and enjoy some time in college, and because they have a great golf program.”
Jacob Torres
Hailing from ‘Aiea, Torres is a redshirt sophomore and 2021 graduate of ‘Iolani School.
Though he didn’t get to golf for the Raiders during his senior or junior season due to the pandemic, he finished No. 13 at the 2019 HHSAA championship as a sophomore.
Torres said that he chose UH-Hilo because “It is like a home-away-from-home where I can play golf and earn a degree. Also, we have the opportunity to play against some of the best teams in the country.”
Dylan Bercan
Born and raised in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, the redshirt junior spent three years at Utah Valley University — playing two seasons for the Wolverines and competing at one event.