Best friends lean on each other, and sometimes help with college scholarships, too.
Best friends lean on each other, and sometimes help with college scholarships, too.
Shaila “Lala” Wilbur-Gabriel was spotted at the Haili volleyball tournament in March, and signed with Odessa (Texas) College.
Asked by the Wranglers if she knew any setters, Wilbur-Gabriel recommended her BFF: Raevyn Kaupu.
They’re both freshmen at Odessa, graduated from Ka Umeke Kaeo, a Hawaiian immersion school in Keaukaha, and played their BIIF ball at Hilo.
The local connection doesn’t stop there. They’ll be joined by 2015 Honokaa graduate Monica Muskat, who’s found a home in the dorm room of the former Vikings.
Like Wilbur-Gabriel, Muskat was also scouted at the Haili by Odessa. Muskat will major in health and nutrition.
Muskat joked that she can’t give people healthy eating tips if she’s wolfing down burgers and soda.
“So far, I’ve been eating healthy,” she said. “I like the campus, and I get the experience of being somewhere besides home, meeting new people and playing with new people.
“I’ve never played with them (Kaupu and Wilbur-Gabriel) before. It’s fun hanging out with them.”
Kaupu and Wilbur-Gabriel will both major in the athletic training field. They can push each other and maybe become business partners someday.
Both entered Ka Umeke Kaeo from kindergarten, and are proud to carry on the Hawaiian language and culture for another generation.
For Kaupu, being a graduate of the Hawaiian immersion school carries a deeper significance. She is Keaukaha born and raised, and her scholarship is a message to her neighborhood.
“There are opportunities out there,” she said. “Even though our island is small when you get a chance go for it because it’s a great opportunity. Do you best, never give up.
“A scholarship means all your hard work paid off and you can continue to do whatever you want.”
Odessa’s most famous alumni is musician Roy Orbison. The college has an enrollment of 5,800 students and sits on 80 acres.
OC sports have won 46 National Junior College Athletic Association titles, making the Wranglers the most winning program.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t apply to volleyball with zero national titles. However, the Wranglers finished 23-10 last year, losing in the Region V West postseason tournament in the first round.
One other thing about Odessa, something the trio from the Big Island will remember for the rest of their lives, it is scorching hot and humid. Temperatures can reach 101 degrees on a good day in Cowboy country.
“Other than the hot sun, I really like it,” Wilbur-Gabriel said. “I enjoy the campus.”
Asked the reason for the good vibes between her and Kaupu, Wilbur-Gabriel noted that sometimes BFFs are magnets that attract and stick together.
“I have no idea, but for some reason we connect on and off the court,” Lala said. “As the years went by we got closer. I don’t have a favorite memory with her because there’s been so much. Every time we really have fun.”
It just so happened that on interview day, Kaupu, Wilbur-Gabriel and Muskat were hanging out in a dorm room, talking at the same time, laughing and, most of all, having fun.
Reunion time
The Wranglers play Eastern Arizona on Aug. 22 at Roswell, N.M., where they’ll be a reunion for four Vikings.
Angel Alameda and Evalani Toledo, a pair of 2014 Hilo graduates, are standouts for the Gila Monsters.
Alameda, a libero, led the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference with 5.34 digs per set while Toledo started at outside hitter.
Lum on No. 1
Southern Oregon and Marian (Ind.) share the No. 1 ranking in the NAIA football preseason Top 25 poll.
Bobby Lum, a 2015 Hawaii Prep graduate, is a freshman running back for Southern Oregon.
During the spring game in May, Lum rushed for a 42-yard touchdown.
The Raiders, who lost four-year starting and NAIA player of the year Austin Dodge, open their season at Carroll College (Mont.) on Sept. 5.
Ahuna on a high
Kaiulani Ahuna, a 2015 Kamehameha graduate, enters her freshman season at Division I Eastern Washington with a major accomplishment.
The 5-foot-9 outside hitter received Tournament MVP honors at the USA High Performance Challenge during the summer.
She was the team captain of the USA Junior A1 Red national team. It was the second summer she and Dartmouth’s Zoe Leonard, a 2015 Kamehameha grad, were on the USA Junior A1 team.
The Eagles (9-20 last season) open their season against Seattle on Aug. 28 at Berkeley, Calif., in the Molten Classic.
Ahuna will get a memorable homecoming when Eastern Washington plays in the UH Rainbow Wahine’s Outrigger Resorts Volleyball Challenge, Sept. 10-12.
On Sept. 12, the Eagles and Wahine will play at 7 p.m.
To submit a candidate or brief for the Big Island College Report, email kjakahi@hawaiitribune-herald.com.