Winning a state title is an accomplishment some will coast off for years.

Shelby Suzuki hopes it’s just the previous chapter.

While the senior and defending individual state champion in girls bowling hopes to replicate last year’s success on Thursday on Kauai, she prioritizes her team’s goals over her own. She has already won individual gold, the first girl to do that at Hawaii Baptist since 1974, and wants to bring the school its first team championship in more than 40 years.

“I definitely want to try to win again,” Suzuki said. “But I feel like if I don’t win I’m not gonna be totally disappointed because I already won. I’d rather win with my team than individually.”

Hawaii Baptist Academy came in second place in last year’s state bowling championships, losing narrowly to Pearl City, which has four consecutive state team titles.

This season, Suzuki rolled a high game of 235 and a high series of 606, both ILH bests, in conference competition against St. Francis on the way to an HBA sweep. In last week’s Jared Kaufmann Singles and Doubles tournament, Suzuki rolled a team-high round of 186 en route to the Eagles picking up the team ILH championship.

Leader on the lane

To Eagles co-head coach Lynne Hayashi, Suzuki’s ability to rise to the occasion sets an ideal example for her teammates.

“She’s probably our steadiest bowler. Just the fact that she doesn’t seem to get rattled rubs off on the rest of the team,” Hayashi said in a phone interview. “They follow her lead and throughout the entire ILH season, the girls were very calm. They didn’t panic if things weren’t going quite the way they thought.”

Despite her sustained success, Suzuki plans to shift her focus toward life after bowling. She wants to be a veterinarian someday and believes she will have to put the ball away to accomplish her academic goals. She is applying to various schools in hopes of pursuing a career toward helping animals.

If the sport can’t help her get there, she will walk away satisfied with her accomplishments.

“I’m definitely sad that it’s my last chance, but I have no regrets,” Suzuki said.

Academic ambitions

Greg Hayashi, HBA’s co-head coach with his wife, also serves as Suzuki’s senior class adviser and homeroom teacher. He supports her ambitions but still believes in her ability to compete at the collegiate level should she choose to pursue it.

“Shelby has the right attitude as far as bowling and academics in college,” Hayashi said. “Her goal in college is to put academics first and I’m glad for her, but if she has the opportunity to bowl on a collegiate level I think potentially she can do well.”

For now, Suzuki is focused on doing her part to bring the team state title to Nuuanu. Part of that is helping teammates play at a championship-caliber level.

“She’s very humble and never lets on that she’s better than anyone. She’s just very down to earth,” said teammate Shaynie Fukuda. “It’s a good example because she’s a four-year varsity player and it inspires us how she’s come a long way and that she’s experienced it all. … She’s good to look up to.”

Lynne Hayashi realizes that in the end, like every other high school athlete, Suzuki just wants to enjoy the proverbial glory days before they come to a close.

“Shelby is one of the more serious but fun bowlers I’ve had,” Lynne Hayashi said. “She likes to pat my head and I keep telling her to stop that. … She does stuff like that just to annoy me and I’m going to miss that.”