KEAAU – Kamehameha seniors Kamalu Makekau-Whittaker, Preston Ching, and Mykala Tokunaga were recognized for inspiring imua or the act of moving forward toward a goal.
Makekau-Whittaker recently signed a national letter of intent with Cal State Northridge for volleyball, Ching with UH-Hilo for golf, and Tokunaga with Sonoma State for softball.
The school has held signing celebrations before to honor student-athletes and their families. But the latest one on Tuesday felt different.
For the first time, Kamehameha held a signing celebration in front of other students, hoping someone would get an inspirational spark hearing how the trio landed their scholarships.
Ching remembered the one from last year in the library, honoring Kaiulani Ahuna, Eastern Washington, volleyball; Kekaulike Alameda, Barton College (N.C.), volleyball; Kobi Candaroma, Hawaii, baseball; and Emmett Enriques, Cal Baptist, volleyball.
“I walked by the library and wondered what that was about. I guarantee that at least one person will be inspired from today,” said Ching, who has a 3.6 GPA and plans to major in engineering.
Ching’s parents, Rowell and Alofa, gave him a good piece of advice that helped when he struggled to shoot low scores as a youngster.
“I didn’t know if I would be able to play college golf when I was young,” he said. “But they always told me to believe in myself and to go out and do it.”
One UHH attraction for Ching was the schedule, which features Division I competition in the spring season.
Before he thinks about his upcoming days as a Vulcan, Ching has one last BIIF season. It’s also the last chance to earn the right to bust the chops of Waiakea rivals Trevor Hirata and Shon Katahira, who’ve been key cogs in the last two league titles.
“My goal is to shoot par or better and beat my friends at Waiakea,” said Ching, who finished with a 75 scoring average last season. “Trevor is always bringing up that BIIF card. It’s fun and games with us, and we have a great time with that.”
‘Dream big’
There are a lot of fun facts about Makekau-Whittaker, who’s 6 feet 1 in shoes and holds a 3.6 GPA.
She plans to major in geography and wants to become a hydrologist. Wait, what’s that about?
She frequently gets that response. It’s the scientific study of the movement, distribution and quality of water.
Makekau-Whittaker once had a flowing river in her backyard and that was her spark.
Her parents, Kalani Whittaker and Leinani Makekau, combined their last name when they got married.
There’ a strong possibility and would make great Vegas odds that the only people in the world with the surname Makekau-Whittaker are Kalani, Leinani, Kamalu and her two sisters Leialii, 13, and Kamaawakea, 4.
“When I was little, the one thing my parents always told me was to dream big, and do whatever it takes to get there,” Makekau-Whittaker said.
She landed in a great place. The Matadors finished with an 8-20 record. But their coach is Jeff Stork, who was the setter on the 1988 U.S. Olympic gold medal team.
CSUN is in the Big West and plays the Rainbow Wahine twice a year. What’s better than that?
How about being a role-model for future Warriors?
Makekau-Whittaker has spent weekends traveling to Oahu to play club ball. She’s been fortunate to have supportive parents, an unsung key and common thread among the Warrior trio.
“Coming from a small town, I know it’s hard to dream big,” she said. “But maybe it can be a spark for someone. The biggest thing is you have to get yourself out there. When I was in the eighth grade, I emailed 50 coaches and then narrowed it down.”
She may be one of only five with the last name Makekau-Whittaker in the world. Kamalu will be the only one at a Division I school playing volleyball — unless her two younger sisters follow their role-model.
No time to fish
The three-time BIIF Division II player of the year never had the time to pick out a fishing pole at the S. Tokunaga Store.
Tokunaga’s parents, Michael and Peggy, were always taking her to practice or flying her over for club ball on Oahu.
Maybe she returns the favor one day. Tokunaga plans to major in business administration. She’ll make a good hire for her dad.
For her senior legacy project, Tokunaga wanted to help other softball players get into contact with college coaches.
All of the coaches (Bob Roman, golf; Sam Thomas, volleyball, Gary Ahu, softball) spoke about their Warriors and the determination each used to find their college home.
Tokunaga had to earn her scholarship in a six-player competition camp. The Seawolves had two scholarships left, and the best two would go home happy.
The Kamehameha ace pitcher and slugger came out as the No. 1 prospect. It’s one achievement among many in her career.
When asked what she’s most proud of, Tokunaga pointed to her two fellow Warriors.
“I’m proud of Kamalu and Preston for getting stuff done and staying on the right track,” she said. “Kamalu committed early, and when I found out I wanted to commit, too. Preston also got an offer from Sonoma, and we went through the recruiting process together.”
That’s why Kamehameha’s latest signing celebration felt so different. The three are all connected and shared the same thing: Imua.
