The celebration of Hawaii’s men’s volleyball championship resounded from Washington Place to Washington D.C., on Wednesday.

Four days after capturing the NCAA title in Columbus, Ohio, the Rainbow Warriors spent the morning making the rounds through downtown Honolulu to be recognized by local government officials and were honored by a product of the program in the halls of Congress.

They devoted their lunch-hour to celebrating with fans at the corner of King and Bishop Streets after playing the season in an empty SimpliFi Arena through their home schedule.

For senior All-American Rado Parapunov, the celebration was “the best way possible” to spend his final day in Hawaii.

“It’s amazing,” Parapunov said. “We had a season that we played with empty stands, and seeing everybody today and everybody cheering, we felt the aloha spirit.

“We made history so everybody should enjoy it.”

Parapunov, the AVCA National Player of the Year and three-time first-team All-American, had a flight booked to Bulgaria on Wednesday night for his trip home. He hadn’t been back home since August 2019, riding out the pandemic year in Hawaii.

Along with fellow seniors Colton Cowell and Patrick Gasman, Parapunov had his first run at a senior season canceled in 2020 and decided to return for another shot at a title. The Warriors completed their quest last Saturday with a decisive sweep of BYU in the NCAA final at the Covelli Center in Ohio.

“It was eyes on the prize and there’s the prize over there,” Parapunov said, nodding toward the NCAA championship trophy.

Parapunov said his five years in Hawaii, “changed me as a person.”

“I don’t think I would be at the same level I would be today if I did not come here.”

The Rainbow Warriors began the morning by boarding a trolley for the ride from the Manoa campus to Washington Place, where Gov. David Ige signed a proclamation declaring Wednesday “Rainbow Warrior Day” in Hawaii.

“Most importantly it was a great day for the people of Hawaii,” Ige told the team in reference to last Saturday’s victory. “This has been a difficult period for a lot of us, but being able to share in the joy of watching all of you perform and represent the state so well is truly inspirational.”

UH coach Charlie Wade opened his remarks by expressing his condolences to the family of former UH football great Colt Brennan, as had first lady Dawn Amano-Ige, and also spoke to impact of the championship run on the community.

“It’s been a hard year for everyone, so for us to be able to break that monotony and provide a source of great pride and joy, that to me is really gratifying, and something I’ll remember for a long time.”

The team also received recognition from Senate President Ron Kouchi and House Speaker Scott Saiki and then it was a short drive down Punchbowl Street to Honolulu Hale for another ceremony with Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and members of the Honolulu City Council.

“I’ve been involved in University of Hawaii sports since 1965, I’ve seen many great games, many great victories. I’ve seen conference championships, but national championships are really rare,” Blangiardi said. “You guys really delivered and delivered big time, our state really needed it.

“And they did against BYU,” Blangiardi added, drawing a cheer from those assembled in the Honolulu Hale atrium. “It was like poetry.”

After meeting with local dignitaries, the Warriors headed downtown for an hour of photos and autographs with fans before the ride back to campus via Ala Moana and Waikiki.

“I feel like we got that true supporting hand from the community that we didn’t see all year,” UH senior Patrick Gasman said. “We got to see how much this means to the community and how much this meant to the island. It was honestly overwhelming, and it was such a great day to see it and experience it.”

Over on the East Coast, U.S. Congressman Kai Kahele used part of his time to congratulate the Warriors in remarks on the floor of the House of Representatives.

“As a former Rainbow Warriors men’s volleyball player and proud alumni I know how much this victory means to the program and all of Hawaii,” said Kahele, who played at UH from 1995 to ’97. “So, congratulations head coach Charlie Wade, the coaching staff, UH athletics programs, the players, and Mr. Speaker, most importantly, the best collegiate volleyball fans, supporters, boosters, and aunties, on the planet. Hawaii is so proud of you.”