Six Mid-Pacific athletes recently signed to play at the collegiate level. Na Pueo sports staffers caught up with these athletes and asked them five questions about their sport. Responses have been edited for clarity.

Questions:
– Why did you choose this university?
– How will you balance college life with school and sports?
– Do you have advice for any other athletes?
– How long have you been playing this sport?
– Was signing a more difficult decision with the pandemic?

Mackenzee Higuchi- Baseball at Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu, Hawaii

1) I chose HPU because the program is very driven and development oriented which is something I believe in. I’m also very used to playing in Hawaii so I won’t have to adapt to the environment and I can make a difference right away.

2) It’s going to be a challenge at first, especially getting used to a different schedule and team. However, once I’ve gone through it a couple of times, I think I’ll be able to manage a good balance between college life, sports, and school.

3) My advice to other athletes is always give 100 percent effort on and off the field. I’ve had my slip ups in school and on the field when I was slacking or not giving my best effort. But, once I regrouped and reflected on my situation, I was able to rebound and come back better than ever.

4) I’ve been playing for nearly 10 years. I started playing when I was 8 years old. I was always an active kid so when some of my friends in elementary school were talking about baseball, I think I just decided that I wanted to play too.

5) I believe the decision to sign was made a little easier due to the pandemic. The coaches at Hawaii Pacific University have seen me grow as a player since my freshman year on the varsity team and it seems like I’d be a really good fit on the team. It also made sense because this way I’d be able to stay close to my family as we are going through this pandemic.

Erin Goya- Volleyball at Seattle University

1) I picked this college because not only did I want to play competitive athletics, I wanted to be able to use my major and go forward with it.

2) I’m definitely going to designate one day on the weekends and all the time after class to make sure that I can get all of my work done and all of my labs done. And try to plan my schedule around practices.

3) If you have offers, pick a place that you see yourself. And you have to know that if you go up there and you tear something or you break something and it’s career ending, you have to know that you’re going to be okay with where you are. So pick the school that you want because it’s the school that you want not because it’s where you want to play.

4) 11 going on 12 years. And I started volleyball because my older cousin, Katie, played and I just liked it. I just started when I was really young, super bad. After that being really bad until like high school. I just loved the sport and I thought that it was such a great game and thought it taught me so much outside of just volleyball.

5) It was definitely different and I think it was hard for the athletes because we usually get together every year at the Elk’s club and we sign together and commemorate this moment.

Lee Matsuzaki- Baseball at Howard College, Big Spring, Texas

1) I decided to choose this college because I thought I had a good repertoire with the coach. I really enjoyed talking with him and he said a lot of good things about the program that caught my attention. There is something really special over there.

2) I’m going to have to get my studies done as soon as I can, not procrastinate and keep a good work ethic on the field.

3) Just enjoy playing while you can. I know this year in terms of COVID-19 it’s rough being an athlete but you’ve got to find a way to stay motivated and remind yourself why you play the sport.

4) 4 years old.

5) I really wanted to play D1 baseball, but because of the pandemic this year it made it a little bit rougher so gotta take a different course. Signing was not an easy thing but not a hard thing.

Alyssa Muraoka- Volleyball at University of Portland

1) There are so many Hawaii people there already and I just love the feel, it made me feel at home. And also the money that I would get athletically is a big plus for me as well.

2) I know it will be tough, definitely when I get there but I feel like that I just have to make sure I stay on top of my schoolwork and not get too caught up in athletics and I have to spend my time efficiently.

3) There’s never any dream too big and there’s always a way to reach your goal. It’s going to be hard work but you just have to put in the effort and you’ll get there.

4) I’ve been playing for about 8 years. And I started because my sister was playing and I just had practices, me and some other young ones, we were always playing so we just ended up loving the game.

5) It was just more intimate, just you and your family so I guess it wasn’t just, you didn’t get to sign with all the people you usually would or have all your friends there as you usually would but in a way it was just a lot of people put together things that made it really special and even better than it could have been.

Alyssa Nakagawa- Softball at University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii

1) I chose the University of Hawaii [UH] because it was my dream school since I was six. I always wanted to go to UH so I could stay home and play in front of my friends and family. Especially my dad and grandpa who’ve played a huge role in my career and life. It was a no brainer.

2) Having to deal with time management and especially in high school with the workload we have and the studying we have to do. I’ve kinda grown up having to deal with time management and especially in high school with the workload we have and the studying we have to do. I think it has prepared me for college, to handle that workload,” said Nakagawa.

3) I would just say to keep working hard. It’s definitely a roller coaster but keep reaching out to coaches and don’t give up on your dreams.

4) So I’ve been playing since I was four or five. It’s basically been my whole life. I didn’t start getting serious about softball till I was 10 or 11.

5) It was definitely a challenge because I had to reach out to the coaches and they had to talk to me through zoom calls. I couldn’t go on campus due to the closures and was different than I was expecting.

Jake Sequin- Golf at University of Hawaii

1) I wanted to stay close to home [because of COVID-19]. And they offered the best scholarship.

2) The university helps us with that. But, I think that my time in high school, like at Mid-Pacific, doing it all these years is definitely going to help. I’m kind of used to it.

3) Just be careful.

4) I’ve been playing golf for 11 years now. And I just picked it up with my grandfather because he plays a lot.

5) It was a lot different than I expected it. I’ve always seen the people going to the elks club or the outrigger to sign. And this year I just did it at home on my iPad.