Hawaii Pacific Sharks
The Hawaii Pacific Sharks are the 13 varsity athletic teams that represent Hawaii Pacific University, located in Honolulu, Hawaii, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Sharks compete as members of the Pacific West Conference. Hawaii Pacific University's first venture into intercollegiate athletics came with the formation of the men's basketball team. The university previously competed in the NAIA before joining the NCAA in the mid-1990s.
| Hawaii Pacific Sharks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Hawaii Pacific University |
| Conference | Pacific West Conference |
| NCAA | Division II |
| Athletic director | Sam Moku |
| Location | Honolulu |
| Varsity teams | 13 |
| Basketball arena | Neal S. Blaisdell Center |
| Baseball stadium | Hans L'Orange Field |
| Softball stadium | Howard A. Okita Field |
| Soccer stadium | Atherton Field |
| Other venues | Clarence T. C. Ching Gymnasium |
| Nickname | Sharks |
| Colors | Teal blue and white[1] |
| Website | hpusharks |
On August 1, 2014, HPU athletics announced that they had changed their name from the Sea Warriors to the Sharks as part of a fundraising effort and to "better align ourselves with the rest of the university." As part of the new logo rollout, then-HPU Executive Athletics Director Vince Baldemor promised to secure 1,000 memberships in the HPU "Sharks Club" within the first three months. The program was a major failure with membership failing to exceed 300 after two years. Baldemor was relieved as athletics director.
History
Men's basketball won the 1993 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament with an 88–83 victory over Oklahoma Baptist University.
The school's most successful athletics program has been its women's volleyball team, which has won three national championships, one NAIA national volleyball championship in 1990 and two NCAA Women's DII Volleyball Championships in 1998 and 2000.
The Lady Sharks Softball team won the NCAA Division II Women's College World Series on May 31, 2010 with a come-from-behind 4–3 win over Valdosta State University.[2][3]
Although not recognized as an official sport by the athletic department, HPU has an internationally recognized Division II cheerleading and dance team. The HPU Large Coed, Small Coed, All Girl and Dance National Championship Titles have established Hawaii Pacific as a global leader in collegiate competitive cheerleading.[4] Including eight consecutive (Non-NCAA) National Championship from 2003 to 2010.[5]
National championships
Team
| Sport | Association | Division | Year | Opponent/Runner-up | Score/Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Softball (1) | NCAA | Division II | 2010 | Valdosta State | 4–3 (5 inn.) |
| Men's Tennis (1) | NCAA | Division II | 2016 | Saint Leo | 5–3 |
| Women's volleyball (2) | NCAA | Division II | 1998 | North Dakota State | 3–1 |
| 2000 | Augustana (SD) | 3–0 |
Varsity sports
Teams
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Men's sports
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Women's sports
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References
- Hawaii Pacific University Sharks Sports Logos Style Guide (PDF). October 14, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
- "Honolulu, Hawaii news, sports & weather - KITV Channel 4". Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
- "National champion HPU softball team back in the islands - Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- "HPU cheerleading stunt team wins nationals | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper". The Honolulu Advertiser. 2006-01-27. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- "HPU cheerleaders win eighth consecutive national championship". April 9, 2010. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
