Hall of Honor: Milan Ah Yat of University Lab and Pac-Five

It was the shot heard ’round the Pac-Five galaxy.

The moment Milan Ah Yat connected on an astounding grand slam in the seventh inning to cap Pac-Five’s wild 13-12 Division II state softball championship win over Waimea, she secured her place in program history. When they speak of her outrageous statistics, her elite-level skills in three sports, Ah Yat has set a bar matched by few female athletes in University Lab School history. Following ULS swimmer Grace Monahan (class of ’22), Ah Yat’s induction makes it two for the Jr. ’Bows to end a drought of more than two decades. The previous inductee from ULS was volleyball standout Fiona Nepo, who went on to set for Nebraska.

“You could make an argument for Grace (Monahan), for Fiona. Milan is definitely one of the best in recent (school) history,” ULS athletic director Walt Quitan said.

The Hawaii Hall of Honor rewarded the versatile University Lab School with induction and a $2,000 scholarship via Enterprise Holdings.

“When I first got the call, I remember turning to my mom and just crying. I was trying hard to keep it in, but I couldn’t,” Ah Yat said. “It was such an amazing feeling because I knew how much of an honor it is to be inducted.”

That money will come in handy.

“I plan on saving it and putting it toward my plane ticket to come home. I know travel can be a lot and I want to make sure I am able to fly home and back to school,” Ah Yat said.

In ILH and state-tourney play (D-II), Ah Yat batted .618 (34-for-55) with 44 RBIs, 12 home runs and 30 runs scored. She had an on-base percentage of .691 and a slugging percentage of 1.564. She also had six stolen bases.

Twice, she posted seven-RBI games. The second time was against Waimea, going 3-for-4 with two HRs and four runs scored.

During the state tourney, the scouting report on Ah Yat was no secret. The numbers were swell, but her clutch performances were more than timely. There has never been a player in a key position, shortstop, who came through in every way to help her team make up for seven errors in a title tilt. Ah Yat was simply their redeemer on the diamond. Kapaa walked her once and she hit 1-for-3 with two runs and a stolen base. Nanakuli wisely walked Ah Yat three times, and she finished 0-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Ah Yat belted a three-run homer to fuel Pac-Five’s rally against Waimea, but her grand slam was a pure mental error. Ahead by two runs, the Menehune intended to walk her — even with the bases loaded — but Waimea coach Teddy Perreira said he forgot to inform his pitcher. Ah Yat grooved the inside fastball to well beyond the center field fence at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium for the lead.

She finished the state tourney batting .444 with eight RBIs and eight runs scored.

“My top memory is definitely during the state championship game against Waimea. We were going back and forth, and I helped lead my team, and we won the game,” Ah Yat said.

In the ’22 state tournament, she batted .625 (5-for-8) with eight RBIs and eight runs scored. The Wolfpack lost to Waimea in the semifinals, 8-7.

For Ah Yat, playing multiple sports led to a multiplication of cherished memories.

“My first, most amazing memory was freshman year when we beat Pearl City in the state quarterfinals for volleyball. Pearl City was a really good team and we had a young squad that year,” she recalled. “I was starting at outside. It was an awesome feeling to win that game.”

In junior year, top-seeded ULS rallied for a reverse-sweep victory over Damien in the D-II state-tournament semifinals.

She amassed 32 kills and 19 digs.

“I will never forget that comeback,” she said.

In the state final against powerhouse Le Jardin, Ah Yat again had 32 kills and 19 digs as the Junior Rainbows captured the title. It turned out to be the last volleyball match of her prep career.

“I think she and her parents came to the conclusion that softball had a higher ceiling for college,” Quitan said.

Without Ah Yat, ULS went 10-7 last season and did not qualify for states.

Ah Yat’s final-year focus on softball paid off with a softball scholarship from Loyola Marymount.

“When I started high school, my plan was to focus on volleyball. I was getting more invested in the sport and I was having a lot of fun playing,” she said.

Everything comes down to her roots.

“My why is my family. They are my motivation and the reason why I keep going. They have made so many sacrifices for me and I owe everything to them,” she said.

Ah Yat’s advice to incoming freshmen is to savor the journey.

“I would tell tell eighth grade Milan to enjoy her last year of middle school and to just have fun in the sports she is playing. Focus on being a team player and do everything you can to help the team win,” she said. “I would tell her to keep working hard in practices and never give up.”

The constant practice reps in softball, volleyball and baseball — she played for Pac-Five baseball coach Paul Ah Yat, her father, this spring — added up to success.

“I have always been competitive. It’s a feeling that pushes me to do whatever it takes to win. But one thing that I struggled with was confidence. I lacked confidence in myself and there were times where I would get down and almost give up,” she said. “There were many ups and downs in my career. I fought to change my mindset, and the more I practiced and trained, the more confident I got in my abilities.”

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Hall of Honor inductees

>> Leonard Ah You of Kahuku

>> Elijah Dinkel of Kamehameha-Hawaii

>> Brock Fonoimoana of Kahuku

>> Taryn Irimata of Campbell

>> Liona Lefau of Kahuku

>> Solomone Malafu of Kapaa

>> Tatum Moku of Kamehameha

>> Keala Montgomery of Lanai

>> Raya Nakao of Punahou

>> Zola O’Donnell of Mililani

>> Marley Roe of Kamehameha