The Hawaii Hall of Honor’s class of 2020 was unveiled on Monday, featuring two four-time state champion wrestlers, and a three-time volleyball player of the year.
Kysen Terukina and Nanea Estrella, the four-time champions, were two of the 12. They were selected by a panel of 13 active and retired media and administrators on Sunday. In all, 78 student-athletes applied for the scholarship. Each inductee will receive $2,000 from Hall of Honor sponsor Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Class of 2020
Nanea Estrella, Lahainaluna wrestling
Estrella’s prowess as a four-time state champion was matched by her hunger for competition. She moved up and down the weight classes in preseason tournaments, seeking the ultimate competition. She won the 117-pound weight class as a freshman, then the 122 title as a sophomore. As a junior, Estrella reigned at 127, and as a senior, she repeated as 127-pound state champion.
Estrella closed her career at No. 1 in the Pound4Pound rankings by Hawaii Prep World. She will compete for Menlo College (Calif.).
Alfred Failauga, Waipahu football
Failauga made an impact from his first game as a freshman as Waipahu surged back into prominence. In 11 games, he rushed for 1,259 yards and 12 touchdowns. After going 1-7 the previous year, the Marauders went 8-3 overall and finished second in OIA Division II, losing to Lahainaluna in the state tournament.
As a sophomore, he rushed for 1,495 yards and 21 TDs as Waipahu went 10-1, capturing the OIA D-II title. They lost in the state tourney at Konawaena, 53-50.
Waipahu moved up to Division I in the fall of 2018, but the Marauders didn’t falter. They were 5-2 in the regular season, then defeated Leilehua and Castle to claim the OIA D-I title. After wins over ‘Iolani and Hilo, Waipahu was D-I state champion. Failauga missed five games, but still rushed for 1,165 yards and 10 TDs in nine contests.
Last season, Waipahu lost in the OIA D-I playoffs, but Failauga had a whopping 1,876 yards and 19 TDs (280 carries) in nine games.
In his career, Failauga rushed 940 times for a state-record (all divisions) 5,795 yards. He ran for 62 TDs. He also caught 40 passes for 597 yards and three TDs.
Chenoa Frederick, Kamehameha-Hawaii track and field, soccer
Frederick was an impact maker from her freshman season through junior year, collecting eight gold medals. She became the first female athlete to win the three jumping events — 38-07 in the triple jump, 18-02.75 in the long jump and 5-1 in the high jump — and the 100-meter dash (12.56) last year. She also has the state record in the triple at 39-10 (2018)
Frederick was poised to become the all-time leader in golds before the COVID-19 lockdown forced the cancellation of the 2020 spring season. She will attend Hawaii.
Frederick was poised to become the all-time leader in golds before the COVID-19 lockdown forced the cancellation of the 2020 spring season. She will attend Hawaii.
Laakea Gonsalves, Kapaa baseball, volleyball, football
Gonsalves was a Star-Advertiser All-State second-team selection in soccer as Kapaa won the D-II state title. He was also all-KIF in football twice before sitting out his senior season. The Warriors reached the D-II state final in volleyball twice.
Christina Hicks, Punahou water polo
One of the top players in the nation, Hicks sparked the Buffanblu to three consecutive state championships. The dominant Buffanblu were poised to win a fourth before the spring season was cancelled. She will play at national powerhouse Stanford.
Caiyle Kaupu, Konawaena basketball
The four-time Star-Advertiser All-State selection is arguably the best post player in school history. She played a key role in two of Konawaena’s nine D-I state crowns (2016-17, ’17-18). As a senior, Kaupu had a career-high 37 points on 17-for-20 shooting, plus four steals, in a semifinal win over Kahuku. She will play at UC Irvine.
Legend Matautia, Punahou football, wrestling, judo, track and field
The 6-foot, 240-pound scholar-athlete was a rare four-sport standout. He was a second-team All-State selection at inside linebacker, won wrestling championships twice — at 220 in 2019 and 285 in '20) and a judo title once. Matautia signed with USD to play football last week.
Elena Oglivie, ‘Iolani volleyball
Her senior season was interrupted briefly to participate with the US national team, which won in Egypt. Oglivie, a two-time Star-Advertiser player of the year and three-time Gatorade POY, led the Raiders to two state titles. In 2019, she had 41 kills in an incredulous 99 attempts as ‘Iolani took Kamehameha to the wire. The Raiders led the playoff match 2-0 before succumbing to the eventual state champions. Oglivie will play at Stanford.
Kysen Terukina, Kamehameha wrestling
The four-time state champion began his reign in 2017 with the 116-pound division crown. In ’18, he moved up and claimed the 120 title. In ’19, Terukina moved up another notch and captured the 126 weight class. As a senior in ’20, he made the move to 132 and completed his slam. He also was Hawaii Prep World’s No. 1 Pound4Pound wrestler in his last two seasons. Terukina will wrestle at Iowa State.
Josh Tihada, Lahainaluna football, basketball
His biggest impact came on the gridiron, where the Lunas relied on their durable playmaker extensively. The Lunas broke through and won their first D-II state title with Tihada as a freshman, and the momentum never stopped. He finished his career with 3,504 rushing yards. That includes 310 yards and three TDs on 36 carries in Lahainaluna’s 21-10 win over Kapaa in the state final last November. Tihada will play at UNLV.
Christmas Togiai, Kamehameha basketball, volleyball, football
The versatile 6-foot-1, 190-pound played through senior season of basketball despite a torn labrum that cost him his final football season. Kamehameha went unbeaten through the ILH, a rare occurrence, and reached the state final behind Togiai. His knee injury in the semifinal round, however, proved to be the difference as the Warriors lost to rival Maryknoll in the title game.
Togiai was voted Star-Advertiser All-State player of the year, selected to the Fab 15 twice, as well as all-defense. He was All-State in volleyball as a junior, losing senior year because of the COVID-19 lockdown. He will play at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Ariz.).
Roman Wilson, Saint Louis football, track and field
Wilson’s emergence as a big-play receiver was no surprise. The former Kihei Dolphins Pop Warner player developed at Saint Louis in Coach Ron Lee’s run-and-shoot offense. His 4.37 time in the 40-yard dash at a Nike Combine on the West Coast last summer was the best among all athletes. As a senior, Wilson had 64 receptions for 1,070 yards and 12 TDs as the Crusaders won their fourth Open Division title in a row.
Wilson won the 100-meter dash (10.68) and was part of Saint Louis' record-breaking 4x100 relay team last spring. He will play at Michigan.
Wilson won the 100-meter dash (10.68) and was part of Saint Louis' record-breaking 4x100 relay team last spring. He will play at Michigan.
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