Punahou • Sports: Basketball, softball • GPA: 3.5 • College: UCLA (softball)
When she enrolls at UCLA, Mysha Sataraka will have just one sport to concentrate on for the first time since kindergarten.
Sataraka signed on to play with the Bruins softball program, but chances are she’ll find her way to the gym for an occasional basketball fix.
"If my coach lets me I might pop my head in and play a game or shoot around just for fun to bring it all back once in a while," Sataraka said.
Both sports kept Sataraka on the go growing up, and she attacked them with equal tenacity over her four years at Punahou.
Sataraka was named to the Star-Advertiser’s Fab 15 All-State basketball team each of the past three years. She then spent each of the past three springs earning first-team All-State honors in softball and was named the position player of the year as a senior.
Sataraka’s sports schedule included few breaks since she began playing basketball and baseball at age 5. She stuck with baseball until 12, when she transitioned to softball, keeping her parents, Pena and Cathye, on the move.
"It was pretty much equal the whole way," Sataraka said of her devotion to the court and diamond. "We had weekends where it was running from one practice to a game to another practice."
While at Punahou, Sataraka maintained her high-energy style in both sports. Her intensity was tough to counter on the basketball court whether driving into the lane or disrupting the opponent on defense.
When she switched over to softball, Sataraka was among the state’s most intimidating hitters and anchored the left side of the Buffanblu infield at shortstop or third base.
As she progressed as a hitter, she saw fewer pitches over the plate. When pitchers chose to challenge Sataraka during her senior season she hit .650.
