Mari Kawano stepped in to her current role as the deputy assistant to the athletic directors at CUI in 2021. She previously served on the CUI softball coaching staff as a graduate assistant for two years from 2019 to 2021 and continues to help the program as an assistant.  She has also helped the administrative team at CUI as a temporary compliance assistant.
A former All-PacWest shortstop who graduated from Hawai'i Hilo, Kawano works primarily with the CUI infielders during her time with the softball team. As a player, she earned First Team All-PacWest honors in 2017 and was named to the All-PacWest Academic Team as a junior. That season, she batted .376 and led her team with 18 steals while adding 12 multi-hit games over the course of the season.
At Hawai'i Hilo, Kawano earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology with a minor in business administration. During her last semester of college, she received the NCAA Degree Completion Award and was a volunteer student assistant coach for the softball team.
Prior to joining the Vulcans, Kawano graduated from George Washington High School in San Francisco, Calif. where she was a four-time First Team All-City selection under head coach Carrie Wert.
