UH-Hilo Soccer Standout Named PacWest Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Not only did Daelenn Tokunaga lead the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo women’s soccer team to its first-ever conference title last fall and the team’s first National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament appearance, she also was the school’s first PacWest Player of the Year and just last week became the first student-athlete in the school’s history to be named the PacWest Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

She recently added one more accomplishment to her list of accolades.

Tokunaga was tabbed by the league’s athletic directors as the Pacific West Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, also a first for the UH-Hilo record books. Tokunaga was chosen from a ballot that included seven other conference scholar-athlete winners, one from each of the PacWest’s eight female sports.

“Nothing that Daelenn accomplishes surprises me anymore,” UH-Hilo women’s soccer coach Gemen’ne Okamura said in a press release. “Her desire and drive to compete, to be the best in whatever she does, has allowed her to find success on and off the field. She was an instrumental piece of everything we accomplished this year. We are extremely proud of her for receiving this award.”

A 2018 graduate of Pearl City High School, the Waipahu, O‘ahu, and University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa transfer helped lead the Vulcans to a 12-4 record and their first PacWest title as co-champions with Point Loma. The 5-foot-7 junior led the PacWest and NCAA West Region in scoring. She had 13 goals in 16 contests and also had three assists for 30 total points. Seven of her goals were match-winners.

Tokunaga’s biggest goal of the year was a golden goal against Point Loma to create a tie for first place at the top of the PacWest standings, ending the Sea Lions’ historic winning streak in a 1-0 victory. The Vulcans went on an eight-match winning streak to conclude the regular season and earn a berth in the NCAA West Regional.

Tokunaga has a 3.83 grade-point average through the spring semester in her major of administration of justice.

“All of the success and awards are in no way possible without my teammates,” Tokunaga said in a press release. “Hopefully we continue that momentum into 2022 and accomplish even greater things.”