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IRVINE, Calif. \u2013 The Big West announced Tuesday that University of Hawai’i track and field athlete Lilian Turban<\/a> and men’s volleyball middle blocker Ofeck Hazan<\/a> have been named the institution’s Female and Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
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\nEach year, the Big West awards this honor to one male and one female student-athlete from each member institution to recognize their academic and athletic achievements.
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\nTurban, a multi-event specialist, cemented herself as one of the elite track and field competitors in the nation during her collegiate career. She is a two-time All-American in the high jump, earning first-team honors after a fourth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships, and second-team recognition following a 10th-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships.
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\nTurban completely dominated conference competition, claiming eight conference titles\u2014three Big West outdoor crowns and five MPSF indoor titles\u2014and was twice named the Big West Championship Field Athlete of the Meet.
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\nOff the track, Turban’s dedication to academics and community service has been equally impressive. She is a four-time Academic All-District selection and became just the second student-athlete in UH track and field history to be named an Academic All-American when she earned the honor in 2024. Her exceptional commitment was recently highlighted when she was named a recipient of the Big West Service and Leadership Award, and additionally received the 2026 Jack Bonham Award, which is the highest honor bestowed upon a Hawai’i student-athlete.
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\nTurban’s legacy and impact on the Rainbow Wahine track and field program are heavily etched into the school’s record books. Remarkably, she ranks in the top 10 in program history across five different events. Among her top marks, she sits at No. 2 all-time in both the indoor (1.86m) and outdoor (1.87m) high jump, No. 5 in the outdoor javelin (46.53m), and No. 7 in the outdoor shot put (14.67m).
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\nHazan, a sophomore from Zikhron-Ya’akov, Israel, has been a model of academic perfection for the Rainbow Warrior men’s volleyball team. Majoring in finance, the 6-foot-6 middle blocker currently carries a flawless 4.0 GPA.
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\nHis unwavering dedication in the classroom recently earned him the highly coveted NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete award for the 2026 National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship, making him only the second UH men’s volleyball player to ever claim the honor, joining K\u0101na’i Akana (2022).
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\nOn the court, Hazan played a pivotal role for a men’s volleyball program that reached the pinnacle of collegiate competition. He helped the second-seeded Rainbow Warriors achieve an impressive 28-5 record, leading the team on a historic postseason run. The ‘Bows defeated Long Beach State in the NCAA semifinals before capturing the 2026 Men’s Volleyball National Title with a thrilling championship victory over UC Irvine.
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