HONOLULU – University of Hawai'i men's golf coach Ronn Miyashiro continued his strong hold on the Hawai'i high school recruiting pool by signing Nainoa Calip of Hilo, Hawai'i, and David Saka of Waipahu, O'ahu to National Letters of Intent for the 2010-11 season.

 

Miyashiro's emphasis on local recruiting has been validated with seven of the eight current members hailing from the 50^th state including Pono Calip (Hilo, Hawai'i), Alex Chu (Honolulu), Daniel Koge (Hilo, Hawai'i), #T.J. Kua# (Lihu'e, Kaua'i), Cory Oride (Lihu'e, Kaua'i), Henry Park (Waikoloa, Hawai'i), and Jared Sawada (Mililani, O'ahu).

 

“I'm very excited to be adding Nainoa and David to our roster next season,” Miyashiro said. “Their accomplishments over the years in high school and amateur golf events have definitely prepared them for the transition to the Division I level. Not only will they add depth to our young team, but I look for both of them to contribute immediately in our starting lineup from Day 1.”

 

Calip, the younger brother of current Warrior Pono Calip, is the two-time reining Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion out of Kamehameha Schools-Hawai'i. At the HHSAA State Championship last year in Ka'anapali, Maui, Calip took 15^th place.

 

This past summer, he captured the amateur division of the Hilo Invitational, winning in a sudden death playoff. Earlier this month, he competed on the USA Hawai'i-Japan Cup all-star team. In 2008, Calip placed 24^th at the state championships while also winning the Cindy Rarick Invitational for the boys 15-17 division.

 

Saka, a senior at Moanalua High School in Honolulu, is having a tremendous year in 2009. He represented Hawai'i in the USGA State Team Championships in St. Albans, Missouri and was the low amateur at the Maui Open and Kona Open. He was the No. 3 seed at the prestigious Manoa Cup, the Hawai'i State Amateur Match-Play Championship, where he lost in the quarterfinals. In addition, he won the Turtle Bay Junior Classic Boys 15-18 flight in September.

 

As a junior at Moanalua, Saka helped the Na Menehune to a runner-up finish at the HHSAA State Championship in Maui, where he placed 14^th individually. Earlier in the year, he won the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red East Division championship. As a sophomore in 2008, Saka finished 13^th at the state championships.

 

The Warrior golf team recently completed their fall season. The spring season begins in February with the Mauna Lani Invitational on the Big Island.