UH will remain in the Big West as an affiliate member in four sports: men’s volleyball, women’s water polo, men’s swimming and diving, and beach volleyball.NASED has laid out a June 2025 deadline for execution of a full contract with demolition of the old stadium expected to commence around that time. 3. Hawaii men’s volleyball […]
UH will remain in the Big West as an affiliate member in four sports: men’s volleyball, women’s water polo, men’s swimming and diving, and beach volleyball.NASED has laid out a June 2025 deadline for execution of a full contract with demolition of the old stadium expected to commence around that time.
3. Hawaii men’s volleyball season waylaid by star’s injury
Saint Louis was at a crossroads. The proud men of Kalaepohaku entered 2024 in a rare down period in Hawaii high school football, last appearing in a state tournament in 2021. Enter former Crusaders running back Tupu Alualu, who was hired in February to succeed his old coach, Ron Lee.
In the state semifinals, Saint Louis came back to beat Campbell and Hawaii high school career passing leader Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who suffered a key rib injury before halftime. Sagapolutele flipped from Cal to Oregon on signing day and will try to follow in the footsteps of notable Hawaii quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Dillon Gabriel.
1. Hawaii gains full membership into Mountain West, but AD Craig Angelos axed
Two days later it was revealed that it was indeed a college career-ender for the Greek star. UH was still largely competitive without him — it went 23-7 — but UH saw its season end at home in the Big West semifinals, a sweep loss to the same UCI team featuring AVCA Player of the Year Hilir Henno. Chakas, on crutches, was visible to support the team down the stretch.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
Hawaii men’s volleyball star Spyros Chakas took his fateful swing against UC Irvine in the Outrigger Invitational in March. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Expectations were high in 2024 for the Hawaii men’s volleyball team, which had made it to the last four NCAA championship matches and had its All-America hitter Spyros Chakas returning for his senior season.
Saint Louis first-year head coach Tupu Alualu, middle, took the Crusaders back to the top of the prep football mountain. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
For John John Florence, it was a long road back to the top. The Oahu North Shore native achieved World Surf League men’s championships in 2016 and 2017, but the seven-year gap entering 2024 was rife with hardships.
Whether it was a much-discussed move by University of Hawaii administration, controversies and rivalries in the prep scene or high-stakes international competition, there was rarely a dull moment over the last 12 months.
Leaders of AHDP for the first time presented their vision to the public at the last Stadium Authority meeting of the year. They brought renderings for “Aloha Live!”, the Downtown Disney-like area of shops and restaurants they envision surrounding the new stadium. As for the stadium itself, AHDP intends to build on the concrete foundation of the existing Aloha Stadium bowl to save on some development costs beyond the 0 million the state has committed to construction. They pledged roughly 4,000 units of housing and pitched ideas like a school on the grounds.
What should’ve been a prolonged period of celebration for University of Hawaii Athletics for a move to full membership in the Mountain West and the elimination of future travel subsidies for opponents instead morphed into one of consternation. On Nov. 19, UH President David Lassner fired Athletic Director Craig Angelos “based on performance” about a month after UH secured the MWC move for 2026. Associate AD Lois Manin was elevated to the top position on an interim basis, but said she would not seek the permanent position.
Fans of high drama in Hawaii sports got it in spades in 2024.
5. John John Florence wins 3rd WSL title; Landon McNamara takes “The Eddie”
4. Saint Louis returns to the fore of Hawaii prep football
Below are some of Spectrum News’ picks for the top stories of the year. But first, some honorable mentions:
2. NASED moves ahead with lone bidding team
But by the end, the Saints marched all the way to their eighth state title, and first since 2019, with a 17-10 win over their storied rival, the Red Raiders, who were denied their fourth straight championship under Sterling Carvalho.
Incoming President Wendy Hensel will lead a search for a new AD sometime after taking the reigns at the start of the new year.
Then, in December, it was announced that “The Eddie” would go. The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, known as the Super Bowl of Surfing, was officially green-lit at Waimea Bay on Dec. 22, just the 11th time in history that wave conditions were met.
Stadium Authority members asked questions of the leaders including Stanford Carr of Stanford Carr Development, but AHDP did not take questions from attending media members. The envisioned skyline fronting Pearl Harbor and the processes for the discovery of human remains were raised as issues.
At December’s Board of Regents meeting, his last as president, Lassner defended the firing of the person he hired 18 months prior in the face of intense online criticism and from UH student-athletes amid a groundswell of support for Angelos. Lassner, UH’s representative on the Mountain West board, downplayed Angelos’ role in the transition from the Big West to MWC.
But everything changed in an instant on March 10. On one of the last plays of the night in a tense five-set battle with Big West rival UC Irvine, Chakas went up for a difficult ball near the right pin, completed his swing and landed awkwardly on his left leg. His knee buckled and he fell to the TaraFlex surface and the Stan Sheriff Center fell deathly quiet as all present seemed to recognize the gravity of the moment.
Past Eddie champ Florence participated, but it was fellow North Shore native Landon McNamara who prevailed in front of thousands on the sand and many more watching live from afar. He took home ,000 and a total of 600,000 Hawaiian Airlines miles for winning not just the overall event but the best ride as well.
Things started off rough, as the Crusaders missed a field goal to win their opener at Kahuku and had some costly miscues at Mililani the following week to drop to 0-2.
University of Hawaii-bound running back Titan Lacaden was the lynchpin for the Crusaders as he carried the ball 31 times for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
Oahu North Shore natives have won the last three Eddies: Florence in 2016, lifeguard Luke Shepardson in 2023 and McNamara.
Kapaa claimed its first championship at the Division I level while Kamehameha-Maui broke through in D-II.
A rendering by Aloha Halawa District Partners was presented at the Stadium Authority meeting in December. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Florence, 31, recovered from injuries, was the best surfer of the Championship Tour, however, and took the top seed into the WSL Final at Lower Trestles, Calif., in September. He became the rare No. 1 to make good on his position in the WSL’s staggered bracket, beating Brazil’s Italo Ferreira in two straight sets for his third career WSL championship.
In the end, the state had but one choice of suitor for its envisioned multi-purpose, 98-acre complex to be built around a new 25,000-seat stadium in Halawa. Aloha Halawa District Partners, a consortium of local, national and international developers, was the last bidder standing and became the “preferred offeror” for the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District.
