For the second time in three years, the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo is the winner of the 2023-24 PacWest Hawai‘i Challenge for local athletic bragging rights between the three NCAA Division II institutions in Hawai’i.
The Vulcans, who won their second title in the eight-year existence of the competition, accumulated 24 points throughout the 2023-24 academic term, bettering HPU’s 21. Chaminade finished with 16.
“We are happy and excited to re-capture the PacWest Hawai‘i Challenge,” Hawai‘i Hilo Director of Athletics Patrick Guillen said. “It is a testament to the tremendous efforts of our student-athletes and coaches on the fields and courts. We are also deeply grateful to our staff and community for providing the support that helps drive our success. I am proud of our entire program and honored to capture this title once again between our friendly interisland rivals and friends.”
Hawai’i Hilo had first-place finishes in five sports: women’s soccer, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s golf and softball. The Vulcans had runner-up finishes in men’s soccer, women’s volleyball and women’s tennis. First place finishes awards three points, runner-ups with two and third-place with one.
HPU enjoyed top billing in three sports: men’s soccer, women’s tennis and baseball. The Sharks finished second in women’s cross country, women’s volleyball, men’s basketball and women’s basketball.
Chaminade captured first-place points in women’s volleyball and women’s cross country with second-place points in women’s soccer and softball.
PacWest Hawai‘i Challenge
In an effort to elevate the Hawai‘i-based rivalries within the Pacific West Conference and recognize the high level of competition between Hawai‘i Hilo, Chaminade and HPU, the member institutions have created the PacWest Hawai‘i Challenge, comprised of 10 sports that all three of the state’s Division II schools participate in.
The PacWest Hawai‘i Challenge can be traced back to the late 1970s to early 80s when BYU-Hawai‘i, Chaminade College, the University of Hawai‘i Hilo, Hawai‘i Loa College and Hawai‘i Pacific College formed NAIA District 2, followed later by District 29.
Following Chaminade’s departure from the NAIA in 1989, the Hawai‘i Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (HIAC) was formed three years later to keep the local rivalries between HPU (which merged with Hawai‘i Loa in 1992), UH Hilo (which left the NAIA in 1993) and BYUH intact. The HIAC dissolved in 1998 when BYUH and HPU joined the Pacific West Conference.
Scoring
Points are awarded in head-to-head matchups in basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball. A win is two points and a tie worth one point while a loss nets none.
At the conclusion of each sport’s season, the points are added and the team with the highest total gets three points while the second-highest gets two and the third-place finisher one. There are no head-to-head tiebreakers so teams that finish with the same number of points all earn the appropriate score toward the season-long standings.
Since there is no consistent regular-season matchups in women’s cross country, men’s golf and women’s tennis, points are awarded in the order of finish at the PacWest Championships. Postseason competitions do not factor into the tallies.
History
2015-16: BYU-Hawai‘i / HPU
2016-17: HPU
2017-18: HPU
2018-19: HPU
2019-20: HPU
2020-21: COVID-19
2021-22: Hawai‘i Hilo
2022-23: HPU
2023-24: Hawai‘i Hilo