Subscribe

A pair of star seniors on the Far East tournament circuit have signed National Letters of Intent to take their talents to the collegiate level, Kai Lange, a soccer player at Matthew C. Perry in Japan, and Shanique Lucas of American School of Bangkok.

Lange, the Pacific’s single-season goal-scoring record holder, signed with the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., a Division I school playing in the West Coast Conference. Lucas, a two-time Far East Girls Division I Basketball Tournament Most Valuable Player, has committed to Union University of Jackson, Tenn., a Division II school in the Gulf South Conference.

Lange scored 85 goals last season, breaking the Pacific record for both boys and girls. The girls previous record holder was Jen Abel with 83 in 2007; she’s now in the Marine Corps. Tyelor Apple, also of Perry, held the previous boys goal-scoring record of 64 in 2012.

Lange has yet to play his senior season for Perry. With 138 goals, he is 18 shy of the school’s career record of 156 set by Lange’s older brother, Gaku. Gaku also played for Pacific, two seasons, before transferring to Northeastern (Mass.) for his last two years.

Lange earned MVP honors in leading the Samurai to the Far East Division II title in 2016 at Misawa Air Base, Japan.

The Tigers played California-Riverside in the first round of the WCC tournament on Thursday. They finished 11-4-1 overall and 5-2 in the WCC regular season, second behind St. Mary’s (Calif.).

American School of Bangkok’s Eagles have won the D-I basketball title the last two seasons with Lucas at point guard and her father, David, as coach, and also won the combined Far East D-I and D-II tournament last February at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni.

The Union Bulldogs went 31-4 last season and as of Thursday were 2-0 in the current season. Prior to joining the Gulf South Conference, Union was an NAIA school playing in the TranSouth Athletic Conference, and the Bulldogs won five NAIA championships, in 1998, 2005-06 and 2009-10.

Union once featured another former Far East Tournament MVP, Grace Fern of Faith Academy, which won the D-I title in 2012.

author picture
Dave Ornauer has been employed by or assigned to Stars and Stripes Pacific almost continuously since March 5, 1981. He covers interservice and high school sports at DODEA-Pacific schools and manages the Pacific Storm Tracker.

Sign Up for Daily Headlines

Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets from around the world.

Sign Up Now