After taking 2020-21 off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Hawai’i Hilo won the 2021-22 PacWest Hawai’i Challenge.
The Vulcans out-pointed five-time defending champion Hawai’i Pacific University by a single point. UH Hilo accumulated 22 points during the year while HPU had 21. Chaminade finished third with 13.
The Vulcans and Sharks both captured four first-place points but UH Hilo had the benefit of not having any of its teams finishing third in any of the nine sports which the competition comprises. Chaminade had one first-place finish (volleyball).
UH Hilo staved off a late run by HPU, which captured all three first-place points in the spring (men’s golf, women’s tennis, softball). The Vulcans secured at least a share of first place when men’s golf finished ahead of Chaminade at the PacWest Championships in Arizona on April 20. They captured the title outright on April 30 – the final day of the competition – when their softball team defeated CUH in the first game of their doubleheader in Hilo.
Past PacWest Hawai’i Challenge Champions:
2015-16: BYU-Hawai’i and Hawai’i Pacific (co-champs)
2016-17: Hawai’i Pacific
2017-18: Hawai’i Pacific
2018-19: Hawai’i Pacific
2019-20: Hawai’i Pacific
2020-21: No competition due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021-22: Hawai’i Hilo