Earth Science undergraduate named UH Student Athlete of the Year
Mackaby PenningtonMackaby Pennington, a recent graduate of the SOEST Earth Sciences undergraduate degree program, was named Student Athlete of the Year.
The University of Hawai’i Athletics Department hosted the 11th annual “H Awards” in April in the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, which highlighted the success of its teams and student-athletes during the 2023-24 season both in the classroom and in the field of play. For his athletic achievement, men’s diver Pennington was named the Rainbow Warrior of the Year at the event. Additionally, Pennington was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s Diver of the Year in April, winning the one-meter event and finishing runner-up in the three-meter and platform.
Prior to graduating this month, Pennington worked with Earth Sciences assistant professor Leo Geng to assess groundwater and shoreline contamination following the Lahaina fires. He spent a semester designing and deploying multiport sampling wells at the study site, facilitating groundwater sample collection and quality assessment in beach environments impacted by the wildfires. Pennington’s efforts significantly contributed to efforts to understand and improve the resilience and restoration of Lahaina’s coastal regions in the aftermath of the wildfires.