NAC team takes sixth

A Newport Aquatics Center women’s team finished sixth out of 13

squads in the Hawaki Nui race, a competition known as the Super Bowl

of outrigger races, Wednesday on the island of Raiatea in Tahiti.

The NAC team of 12 women, which belong to Kalifornia Outrigger

Association, finished the 28-mile race in three hours, two minutes

and two seconds. The race also featured teams from Hawaii and New

Caledonia, while the NAC squad was the only entry from the U.S.

mainland.

Billy Whitford, the executive director of the NAC, accompanied the

women’s team, which will arrive from Tahiti Monday. The team

included: JoJo Toeppner, Heidi Alonso, Phaedra Arellano, Pua Scott,

Ellen Netzer, Leslie Davis, Teresa Connolly, Maria Fiddler, Elaine

Kaspar, Sheila Doyle, Angela Stafford and Chaence Adair.

They finished third in California before entering the Hawaki Nui.