Head Coach • Wilfred Navalta

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Wilfred Navalta is a man with many titles. He is known as father, husband, professor, teacher, friend and, of course, coach. In the latter category, he won his tenth national championship in 2002.

In 22 seasons at the Seasider helm, Navalta has compiled an amazing 509-97 (.840) record.

In 1994, he was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame; quite an honor for a man who is still an active coach, and at the pinnacle of his profession. In his induction speech, Navalta expressed thanks to all of his former players, coaches, trainers and statisticians for making the honor possible.

"All my success comes from the outstanding players and teams I've had the opportunity to be associated with. But the key person is the Lord; He makes all this possible."

Driven by an intense desire to succeed, Navalta demands a great deal out of himself, his coaching staff and his players. In return, he expects the hard work and discipline to pay dividends. So far it has. Navalta took over an up-and-coming volleyball program in 1985 and immediately led the Seasiders to a ninth-place finish at the NAIA Tournament.

The following year, with Navalta at the helm, the Lady Seasiders won the NAIA National Championship. Then, the following year, to prove it wasn't a fluke, they won it again. From there, Navalta has never looked back. He has guided BYU-Hawaii to 12 conference titles, five NCAA II and 11 NAIA tournament appearances, NCAA II titles in 1999 and 2002, and NAIA titles in 1986, '87, '91, '92, '94, '95, '96 and '97.

He has coached 9 NCAA II and 33 NAIA All-Americans, been named National Coach of the Year eight times and compiled a record most coaches only dream of. In addition, his NAIA tournament record of 69-7 (.908) is the best in the Association's history and so are the eight national championships.

Off the court, Navalta is a man who has a great love for his family and the community in which he lives. He organized and ran the Seasider Junior Volleyball Club for several years. He has also taught ancient Hawaiian games to elementary and high school students throughout the state and he was on the original board of directors of the Aloha State Games.

Coach Navalta has also served unselfishly in many church assignments for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints including serving as a Bishop for a BYU-Hawaii ward. He currently serves as the Stake President for the Laie North Stake of the Church.

Navalta has been honored three times as the Sportsperson of the Year by the Honolulu Quarterback Club. He received the honor in 1987, '91 and '96. In 1991, he also was the Kodak Hula Bowl Sportsperson of the Year and then served as grand marshall at the 1992 Kodak Hula Bowl Parade.

A graduate of Laupahoehoe High School on the Big Island of Hawaii, where he was a star athlete, Navalta came to BYUH in 1963 on a basketball scholarship. While at BYU-Hawaii, Navalta played volleyball and basketball for the Seasiders for three years. In 1966, he transferred to Brigham Young University-Provo, where he completed a bachelor's degree in 1967 and a master's degree in 1969.

While working on his master's degree, Navalta coached the BYU men's volleyball team to a fourth-place finish at the Collegiate National Championships in 1969. After coaching and teaching high school in Arizona for two years, Navalta returned to BYU where he received his doctorate degree in 1978.

Navalta is married and has six grown children.

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Associate Coach • Mona Ah Hoy

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Assistant Coach • Jay Akoi

It is impossible to talk about the success of the BYU-Hawaii women's volleyball program without giving due credit to Jay Akoi.

The founding father of BYU-Hawaii women's volleyball, Akoi coached the Seasiders from their humble beginnings in 1979 to a national power by 1983.

With no scholarships in 1979, Akoi guided the fledgling program through the rigors of the Hawaiian volleyball arena and into the national spotlight. Akoi ended his six-year coaching career with the 1984 campaign, leading the Seasiders to a 38-9 record and a second-place finish at the NAIA nationals.

In six seasons, Akoi led his teams to an overall record of 97-64, an amazing mark considering he worked full-time for the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) while coaching the team.

Since retiring as head coach, Akoi has remained close to the program, assuming a more active role in 1992 during the drive for back-to-back titles. His background adds a dimension of coaching only experience can provide.

Akoi, from Hilo, Hawaii, came to BYU-Hawaii in 1968. In 1971 and 1972, he helped the men's team win back-to-back NAIA titles. Akoi was selected to the NAIA All-Star team both years.

Akoi graduated in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in sociology. He is presently the purchasing manager at the PCC.

He is married to the former Haunani Kekauoha of Nanakuli, Hawaii. They have three children: Iwalani, Keola and Makana.

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