This is the only year Hawaii’s Alex and Alina Ching will both be in college. Before they even tee off in the NCAA Regionals, it’s safe to say they have combined to make an indelible mark on collegiate golf.

Brother Alex, a senior at San Diego ranked 34th nationally, was just named West Coast Conference Player of the Year for the second straight season. Sister Alina, ranked 75th nationally, became the 13th consecutive golfer from Pepperdine to be WCC Freshman of the Year.

Alex has won twice in his final season. He’s been ranked as high as 18th and has a scoring average of 70.52. As a freshman, he led the NCAA championship going into the final round. As a sophomore, he finished second.

Alina helped the Waves to their 11th straight WCC championship and already has eight top-10 finishes.

No other siblings in college come close. Coaches can only talk of the past to find families to compare.

Pepperdine coach Laurie Gibbs offers up the Kuehne family, made up of pro tour players Kelli and Hank and brother Trip, who lost to Tiger Woods in the 1994 U.S. Amateur final.

Tim Mickelson coached Alex his first three years at USD and knows something about golf families. He is the younger, left-handed brother who golfs right-handed, while Phil is right-handed and might be the most famous left-handed golfer on the planet. Tim says flat out that there are no siblings currently with the Chings’ tag-team collegiate talent.

His best comparison is the Thompsons, with Nicholas on the Nationwide Tour, Curtis a freshman at LSU and Lexi, who became the youngest LPGA champion ever last year at 16.

Both Chings graduated from Punahou and had breakout performances here in Hawaii’s state amateur match-play championship. Alex won the 100th Manoa Cup in 2008, the same year he played the Sony Open in Hawaii and captured the state championship in his only high school season. He was the state doubles champion in tennis the previous two years.

Mickelson believes Ching’s strength is that his game has no real weakness. He first remembers him at Junior Worlds, where "younger and older kids flocked to him, girls flocked to him, even parents." The coach was intrigued.

"I thought, I’ve got to know more about this guy because obviously there is something special about him," Mickelson recalled. "I started watching more and realized, No. 1, he is a great kid, and, No. 2, he is a great golfer because he has no weakness."

Alina was the first woman to reach the Manoa Cup’s third round two years ago, something not even Michelle Wie accomplished.

Alina is the third player from Hawaii that Gibbs has brought in, after Gaylen Matsumura and Rachel Kyono and preceding ‘Iolani senior Marissa Chow, who will be her teammate in the fall. All have been "very nice, good competitors and excellent teammates," the coach said.

Ching’s greatest attributes this year have gone beyond the golf course.

There, she is consistent, competitive and consistently smiling.

"When she is focused at practice leading up to a tournament," Gibbs said, "she can play at the highest level of college golf and beat anyone."

In class, Alina has become the terminator, getting all A’s in the spring semester. She will be named Academic All-American next month.

But first, Pepperdine and San Diego have the postseason. Alex’s introduction to the college elite came at the national championship four years ago. To win that elusive title before he turns pro this summer would be magical — to say nothing of setting the bar for his sister.

"His freshman year, to lead the national championship with a day to go was his validation he was good enough to compete with these guys," Mickelson said. "Every once in a while a college player goes through that. Where do I stand? Am I average, above average or elite? That allowed him to believe he was elite."