University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa women’s water polo player Bia Mantellato Dias and men’s basketball player Justin McKoy were selected as UH’s Big West Scholar-Athletes of the Year for their outstanding athletic and academic achievements.
Mantellato Dias, a two-time Big West Player of the Year, led the Rainbow Wahine to an all-time best 23-4 record, a No. 3 national ranking and UH’s best finish in the NCAA National Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Championship in 2024. She capped off a stellar sophomore season with 64 goals on the way to First-Team All-America honors and a nomination for the Cutino Award. Mantellato Dias earned Academic All-District, Academic All-Conference and UH’s Exemplary Scholar-Athlete honors.
McKoy earned Second-Team All-Big West honors in 2023–24, finishing in the team’s top five in defensive rebounds, scoring and free throw percentage while starting all 34 games. He also taught basketball both in Japan and Hawaiʻi. McKoy was named to the Big West Commissioner’s Honor Roll, a UH Exemplary Scholar-Athlete and was nominated to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court.
The pair were among 22 individuals across the league who were named 2023–24 Big West Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Two student-athletes from each institution—one male and one female—were honored by their institutions and the conference.
