Hilo golf sweeps PacWest, Bercan wins second title, men earn NCAA berth

UH Hilo turned the Pacific West Conference Championships into a Big Island statement, with the men winning their fourth straight league title, the women claiming the program’s second crown and Dylan Bercan becoming the Vulcans’ first two-time PacWest individual champion.

The men controlled the championship from start to finish at Aliante Golf Club in North Las Vegas, Nevada, building a 10-shot lead after the opening round, stretching it to 14 after two rounds and finishing with an 18-stroke margin. Hilo closed at seven-under par, with team rounds of 287, 287 and 283, a total the PacWest said was the second-lowest team score in conference history. That dominant run earned the Vulcans the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Super Regionals in Stockton, California, set for May 7-9.

Bercan matched the team’s pace at the top of the leaderboard. He entered the final round with a two-shot lead and finished at eight-under with rounds of 68, 70 and 70 to secure his second consecutive PacWest title. Jacob Torres finished fifth at one-over, Katsuhiro Yamashita tied for eighth at three-over, and Ben Crinella and Dysen Park tied for 14th at four-over. Earl Tamiya, who has coached all seven of Hilo’s PacWest men’s titles, guided the latest run as the Vulcans stacked another trophy onto a streak that has become one of the most consistent in the conference.

The women added to the sweep with a 2026 PacWest title that matched UH Hilo’s only previous championship in 2014. The Vulcans held second place through the first two rounds and closed with a 295 to finish at plus-31 overall, enough to hold off the field and send the program back to the top of the conference for the first time in 12 years.

Elle Otani led the women with a tie for fourth at plus-four, carding rounds of 74, 73 and 73 and finishing with par on the final hole as her teammates rushed in to celebrate. Kiersten Saludares placed eighth at plus-nine, Kailee McKee took ninth at plus-10 and Trinity Ledgerwood tied for 10th at plus-11. Kieran Florino’s one-over final round helped power the late push. The women now move on to the NCAA West Regional in Colorado, scheduled for May 4-6.

The sweep carried rare company as well. UH Hilo said only three schools in PacWest history have won both the men’s and women’s golf titles in the same year, and the Vulcans were the last to do it in 2014. Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin welcomed both teams home at Hilo airport on April 23, a fitting reception for a program that left the conference championships with hardware, NCAA berths and a clear sign that UH Hilo golf is setting the pace for the island and the league.