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Alyssa Bettendorf
• Seabury Hall • Track and field, volleyball
It took a collective effort for Seabury Hall to capture its first state track and field championship.
On her own, Alyssa Bettendorf would have been one of the most productive teams in the meet.
Bettendorf accounted for 36 of Seabury Hall’s 73 points in the Island Movers/HHSAA Track and Field Championships with three victories in the sprints and a bronze in the long jump. Her total alone would have placed her just two points behind runner-up Hilo in the team standings.
But her individual exploits were fueled by the Spartans’ overarching goal. Bettendorf claimed three bronze medals and a silver at the 2013 state meet to contribute a chunk of Seabury Hall’s 68 points, just one behind eventual champion Punahou.
As a senior, she traded those medals for gold. Combining Bettendorf’s sweep in the sprints with fellow Hall of Honor inductee Dakota Grossman’s victories in the distance events, Seabury Hall ran away with the team championship, also the first girls title for the Maui Interscholastic League.
Just as impressive as her point total was the way she amassed the medal haul.
Bettendorf fell behind early in the 100 and 400 meters before fighting to the front to win at the wire. She claimed a third gold in a record-setting 200 meters, finishing in 24.68 seconds to eclipse the previous mark of 25.04 set in 2002 by Hall of Honor inductee Lauran Dignam of ‘Iolani.
Bettendorf’s next stop will be Greeley, Colo., to compete for Northern Colorado.
Evan Enriques
• Kamehameha-Hawaii • Volleyball
Growing up in Kona, then in the remote Ka‘u district, Evan Enriques was far from the beaten path as an athlete.
What he knew was the closeness of his family — three younger brothers and his parents. He also knew the route to school, roughly 50 miles one way from the southern tip of the Big Island to Kamehameha School in Keaau.
Somewhere in the midst of those long drives and family life, he found his niche. Enriques became the Star-Advertiser boys volleyball player of the year as a sophomore after leading Kamehameha-Hawaii deep into the state tournament.
With his father, Guy, as head coach, they built the Warriors into a powerhouse. This year, as a senior — with all three younger brothers on the squad — Enriques was a tireless outside hitter again. He was a force with 28 kills in a victory over ILH power Kamehameha, then 40 kills in 104 swings, plus 16 digs and five aces, to help KS-Hawaii edge Moanalua in a five-set semifinal win.
In a loss to eventual champion Punahou in the title match, he managed 27 kills despite a big wall across the net, and had 12 digs. The 6-foot-2 master of all trades was selected as the state tournament’s most outstanding player. The annual state tourney was always a reunion for Enriques and Punahou’s standout players, Larry Tuileta and Micah Ma‘a.
Together, the trio are part of a Ka Ulukoa Volleyball Club team that won Junior Olympic national championships for the past three years.
Dayton Furuta
• Mililani • Football, wrestling, judo
Three-sport standout Dayton Furuta was in perpetual motion from day one of his freshman year. He was an All-State linebacker for the OIA champion Trojans, was a two-time OIA wrestling champion — and placed second in the state meet at 220 pounds — and was among the top three in the judo state tourney in all four years. He captured the state judo crown three weeks ago.
The toll of three physically punishing sports never seemed to slow Furuta, with one exception. Late in the fall of his senior season on the gridiron, Furuta was one of Mililani’s defensive leaders as a play-making linebacker. He was also key to the Trojans’ short-yardage game as a fullback. But coach Rod York held him out of a playoff game due to a minor injury. It wasn’t until after the season that York noted that Furuta had been hampered by a broken foot, and Furuta played through the state tournament, helping the Trojans reach the state final before losing a close battle to Punahou.
He recovered from the injury to post another strong wrestling season, finishing second statewide in the 220-pound weight class. In previous years, only four-time state champ Dane Pestano stopped Furuta from claiming the gold. This year, it was another promising player on the mat, Tristan Ludiazo of Campbell, who got past Furuta 6-4 in the final.
Undeterred, Furuta finished his career by capturing the 220-pound title in judo. It was a busy career for a non-stop student-athlete.
Dakota Grossman
• Seabury Hall • Cross country, track and field
Dakota Grossman maintained a family legacy while leaving her own imprint on the state record book.
Grossman was in middle school when her sister, Hailey, won the 3,000-meter run at the state track and field championships her junior and senior years at Seabury Hall. Once she enrolled in high school, Dakota capped each fall with a state cross country title and extended the Grossman family’s reign in the 3,000-meters to six in the spring.
Grossman became the first four-time winner of the state cross country championship since Punahou’s Eri Macdonald, a 1999 Hall of Honor inductee. She also matched Punahou great and 2000 honoree Victoria Chang’s four-year run of dominance in the 3,000 meters with a determined effort at the Island Movers/HHSAA Track and Field Championships on May 10.
The University of Utah signee had already won the 1,500-meter title for the second time in her career and finished third in the 800 when she lined up for the 3,000 final as twilight descended on Kamehameha’s Kunuiakea Stadium.
Forced to reset her focus after a restart, Grossman was jostled throughout the race and was boxed in the middle of the pack. As the bell signaled the final lap, she had moved up to third but still had considerable ground to cover. She not only caught the leaders with an impressive kick but pulled away to a victory to secure Seabury Hall’s first team championship and fittingly punctuate a remarkable career.
Sarah Liva
• Mililani • Volleyball, basketball
Sarah Liva was like no other basketball star in Division II, lifting Hanalani into the state tournament as a sophomore and junior. Thirty-point games were common for Liva, who was simply too skilled and too relentless for most opponents.
But she made a decision before her senior season that was far from simple. Liva, a 6-foot-2 volleyball and basketball player, transferred to nearby Mililani and became a dynamic asset immediately at the Division I level. She played middle blocker and helped the Lady Trojans win the OIA volleyball title. They reached the state semifinals and Liva was voted No. 8 in the Star-Advertiser All-State Fab 15.
In basketball, Liva was the premier post player in the OIA, averaging 16 points per game as Mililani reached the league title game. She scored 18 points in a win over Radford to begin the state tourney. One day later, the Lady Trojans traveled to the Big Island and Liva had 13 points and 13 rebounds to spark Mililani in a 54-51 upset of perennial power Konawaena.
The best performance of her career came in the semifinals. She poured in 29 points, including 10-for-11 shooting at the foul line, and corralled 18 rebounds, but Mililani lost to eventual champion Punahou in a 53-48 nail-biter. Liva finished her career with a strong 16-point, 13-board effort in a win over Hilo for third place.
She was selected No. 3 in the Star-Advertiser girls basketball All-State Fab 15. In the end, wherever she was, Liva played with seldom-matched passion, smiling on the outside, but driven on the inside.
Jasmine Mau
• Punahou • Swimming
Jasmine Mau’s athletic accomplishments were most often measured in fractions of seconds.
Her impact outside of the pool is harder to quantify but no less meaningful.
Along with maintaining a rigorous practice schedule crafted to lower her times to record-breaking levels and keeping up with her academic requirements at Punahou, Mau devoted time to varying volunteer projects, including the Special Olympics and the Institute for Human Services.
During her time in the water, she left a legacy of championships and records in her wake.
Mau won eight individual events over four state championship meets and was part of five winning relay teams while helping Punahou capture three team titles.
In her final appearance at the OC 16/HHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships in February, Mau competed in four events and climbed out of the pool with a record in each.
She had already set two state records as a junior and bettered her mark in the 100 butterfly as a senior to 52.23 seconds, setting a national independent schools record (which was broken in May). She also took more than two seconds off the previous record in the 200 freestyle and contributed to record-setting performances by Punahou’s 200 medley and 400 free relay teams.
Mau will be in fast company at the University of California, where she’ll swim under the guidance of U.S. national team coach Teri Mc-Keever.
Jacob McEnroe
• Farrington • Football, basketball
It’s far from common for a 6-foot-2 cornerback with speed to emerge from the islands.
It didn’t hurt, of course, that the same athlete was one of the top basketball players in the state. Farrington benefited in football and roundball with Jacob McEnroe. It didn’t all come together quickly for the talented southpaw, but he was diligent. Patient. Enduring.
As a junior, McEnroe showed promise by midseason, playing cornerback in Farrington’s elite defensive unit. The following winter, he emerged as a key component in Farrington’s run on the basketball court.
His senior season, the rangy athlete hit his peak. He became a full-time cornerback and was voted to the All-State team. His speed in covering receivers downfield was tough to beat. Mililani tested him once and McEnroe answered with an interception, leading Trojans coach Rod York — their offensive play-caller — to swear off any more testing of No. 11 for the rest of the night.
On the hardwood, McEnroe was a dual threat.
He had always been difficult to cover on the wing, but his work in the low post made the difference for a team with a surplus of talented guards. His sacrifice and blue-collar work were key to Farrington’s run to the OIA title.
The Govs reached the state title game, losing to ‘Iolani 43-40.
He averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds per game in the state tourney, and was voted No. 2 in the Star-Advertiser boys basketball All-State Fab 15.
Alohi Robins-Hardy
• Kamehameha • Volleyball, basketball
She was practically a prodigy with deep familial roots in volleyball. Robins-Hardy became a four-time All-State selection, including player of the year honors as a senior, a setter for state-title teams in 2010 and ’14. But she also ascended in basketball, becoming an All-State player as a junior during Kamehameha’s state-championship run. As a senior, she finished a close second to Chanelle Molina for player of the year.
As a freshman, she was already a calm, composed distributor on the volleyball court. Kamehameha went to Maui for the state tourney, where the Warriors rolled through three opponents, then toppled top seed Punahou for the state title.
Entering her junior year — after spending part of the spring playing on Team Aloha’s basketball squad — her development showed for the Warriors, who won the state final against Konawaena. Voters tabbed her at No. 8 in the Star-Advertiser All-State Fab 15.
In the fall, she began her senior season leading a balanced, explosive Kamehameha squad to an ILH crown. At the state tourney, the Warriors defeated Kahuku, Moanalua and Punahou, sweeping the Buffanblu in three sets for the title. Robins-Hardy was voted All-State player of the year.
On the basketball court as a senior, she stepped up her game after an injury to star Tiare Kanoa and showed a higher skill level. Kamehameha missed the states, but she was voted No. 2 in the girls basketball All-State Fab 15 voting.
Ryan Stack
• Kamehameha • Swimming
Before heading off to Wisconsin to compete in the Big Ten, Kamehameha’s Ryan Stack finished off his collection of state championship medals on the Big Island.
Stack capped a decorated swimming career with four medals at the OC 16/HHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships on the Kamehameha-Hawaii campus in Keaau in February to raise his career total to 14, including nine golds.
Along the way, he displayed speed and endurance while earning the first medal of his career in the meet’s shortest event and picking up his last in the longest.
Stack’s potential was evident early when he won the ILH title in the 50 freestyle and finished second in the state meet his freshman year. He claimed his first individual gold in the 100 free as a sophomore and added the 200 free his junior year. He won four more golds as part of Kamehameha’s 200 and 400 free relay teams while helping the Warriors win team championships his sophomore and junior years.
In his final state championship performance, Stack shattered a 12-year-old record while defending his title in the 200 free. He set the mark of 1 minute, 37.83 seconds in the preliminaries.
Stack’s final individual gold came in the 500 free, touching the wall more than 12 seconds ahead of his closest competitor.
While chasing titles and records, Stack helped others pursue their goals as a volunteer with the Special Olympics.
Josh Terao
• Mid-Pacific • Wrestling, judo
Josh Terao followed in his brother’s footsteps at Pac-Five and then went beyond what even David Terao accomplished. Taking eight golds in wrestling and judo is a first in Hawaii history. On the national scene, he was first in Greco-Roman and seventh in freestyle at the Junior Cadet national championships last summer.
He completed a magical prep wrestling career, finishing off a four-peat by defeating Zack Diamond of Mililani in the title match. His skill and dominance were on display. At the state tourney, he won by pin, technical fall (an 18-0 score), 13-2 and another technical fall (15-0) for the 132-pound gold.
His roots, as he says, came from judo. He started on the judo mat at 5, competed in international meets at 8 and hasn’t stopped since. With the myriad moves in the game, Terao found his style and foundation by thinking outside the box. His unique combination of techniques are often ideas that he comes up with. Sometimes, he’s learned from foes in international competition.
His four-peat in judo was as dominating as it was in wrestling. Terao defeated Chevy Tabiolo Felicilda of Moanalua by ippon (throw) in the final, making history with eight golds in the two sports.
He credits his family, his sparring partners and coaches from Shobukan, Pearl City Hongwanji and Grapplers HI. The extra work with Pac-Five teammate Jung Woo Yu on weekends was invaluable. “He knows my main stuff, so I have to try something out of the box,” Terao said.
Alyssa Tobita
• Mililani • Tennis
Alyssa Tobita didn’t let much get past her in four years at Mililani.
Whether in the classroom or on the tennis court, Tobita handled pretty much everything sent her way.
An honor student, Tobita collected four OIA girls singles championships and captured the state championship each of her first three seasons.
Tobita’s run of OIA titles matched that of fellow Mililani graduate and 2000 Hall of Honor inductee Erin Hoe as she ended her junior year as the seventh player since 1963 to win three state championships.
Tobita pulled out a 7-6 (3), 7-5 win to capture the 2011 title and didn’t drop a set in her first 19 state tournament matches. In the 2013 tournament, Tobita’s five opponents managed to take just 12 games in her march to a third title.
She remained undefeated in high school competition heading into the finals of this year’s Carlsmith Ball/HHSAA State Tennis Championships on Maui and came within one match of winning a fourth state title, a feat accomplished only by Hoe. That quest ended with a loss to Saint Francis freshman Taylor Lau in this year’s final. Lau’s reaction to winning the title reflected the respect Tobita had earned in the tennis community.
“After it was over, I was sad for Alyssa,” Lau said.
On a national level, Tobita entered high school ranked 78th among freshmen and rose to 33rd as a junior. She is 39th as a senior and will compete in the Pac-12 next year, having accepted a tennis scholarship to the University of Oregon.
Larry Tuileta
• Punahou • Football, volleyball
He is a two-time All-State quarterback and guided the Buffanblu to a state football title as a senior. On the volleyball court, he is a three-time All-State outside hitter — on the verge of a fourth All-State honor — and three-time state champion. He was named Punahou’s male athlete of the year in his class for all four years.
The former linebacker turned into a quarterback in high school and emerged as an All-State passer as a junior. He threw for 2,592 yards and 29 touchdowns, completing 64 percent of his tosses as the Buffanblu made it to the state final and lost to Kahuku.
A year later, Punahou pounded defenses by ground, but late in the season when defenses clamped down on Punahou’s power rushing attack, Tuileta counter-attacked.
In a win over Kamehameha, he threw for 394 yards and four touchdowns. Next came a 430-yard, five-touchdown performance in the state semifinals against Farrington. In the state title game against Mililani’s elite defense, he threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns as Punahou won 28-22 for the crown.
He finished the season with 28 touchdown passes and 2,647 yards, and was voted All-State offensive player of the year.
But his better sport may be volleyball. With uncanny vision and feel, Tuileta led Punahou to its third state title in a row this spring, anchoring the Buffanblu with 16 kills and 22 digs in the final against Kamehameha-Hawaii.