ISLE FILE
Flanagan, Sakamoto reach Olympic Trials
Advertiser Staff
Hawai'i's John Flanagan and Noa Sakamoto qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in open-water distance swimming yesterday at the Open Water Grand Prix in Indianapolis, Ind.
Flanagan, 32, placed third in the 10-kilometer race at Eagle Creek Park, finishing in 2 hours, 58.40 seconds. Sakamoto, 21, finished fourth; his time was not available.
The training partners and Punahou School alums qualified by virtue of placing among the top 15 finishers. The Olympic Trials will be held at Fort Myers, Fla., Oct. 21 and 22.
Rick Hetzel, also from Hawai'i, competed in the event. His placement was not available.
Mark Warkenstein, 27, of Santa Barbara, Calif., won the race in 2:00:48.35. Kirsten Groome, 17, was the first female finisher in 2:06:20.25.
BASEBALL
WINTER IN WAIPAHU
Hawaii Winter Baseball announced that it will play all of its 2007 schedule at Hans L'Orange Park in Waipahu, save for 12 games on Neighbor Islands, because of the apparent unavailability of Les Murakami Stadium during the fall.
The offseason developmental league that features U.S. minor leaguers and up-and-coming players in Japan's pro league was revived last year after running from 1993 to 1997. Murakami Stadium had been always used in previous seasons.
The league cited in a press release that it would not be able to use Murakami Stadium because of "stadium renovations likely to take place" in the fall. The stadium on the University of Hawai'i lower campus is scheduled to have its turf replaced before the start of the 2008 season.
The league runs Sept. 29 to Nov. 19. Doubleheaders will be played at Hans L'Orange with game times set for noon and 6:30 p.m. The 6 1/2-hour gap between games is to give players in the nightcap adequate pre-game warmups, a league spokesman said. Also, the league is still contemplating whether there will be separate admission charges for each game or if a ticket will be good for both games. The only time there will be single games is when one of the other games will be played on either Maui or the Big Island.
The same four teams from last season — Honolulu Sharks, West Oahu CaneFires, North Shore Honu and Waikiki BeachBoys — will still be based on O'ahu. But there will be six games at Maui's Iron Maehara Stadium, Sept. 2 to 4 and Sept. 6 to 8, as well as at Hilo's Wong Stadium, Sept. 19 to 21 and Oct. 2 to 4.
GOLF
MAKENA TEAM QUALIFIES
Makena Golf Club head pro Kirk Nelson teamed with amateurs Mike Morris, Jay Wisthoff and Rick Smith to shoot a two-person better-ball score of 8-under 136 and win the sectional qualifying for the PGA McGladrey Team Championship yesterday at Turtle Bay's Arnold Palmer Course.
Oahu Country Club pro Andrew Feldman and amateur partners Stuart Chun, Percy Higashi and Carlton Lee finished second at 138.
The event joined the three amateurs who won their local qualifying with the host PGA pro to compete as a foursome. Makena's team advances to the National Championship at Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort, Sept. 10 to 12, to face the 40 other section champions.
