HONOLULU – In celebration of the University of Hawai'i's 40^th Anniversary of Women's Athletics, three women headline this year's UH Sports Circle of Honor class.

The late Patsy Takemoto Mink, Natasha Kai, and Brooke Wilkins will be officially announced as the Class of 2011 inductees at the UH Sports Circle of Honor media luncheon Friday, Oct. 21 at the Stan Sheriff Center's Diamond Head Hospitality Room. Later that day, the class will be introduced between Sets 2 & 3 of the UH vs. Utah State women's volleyball match.

This is the 30^th group to be enshrined, a tradition which started in 1982 to recognize individuals and teams that have contributed to the growth, history and tradition of UH Athletics.

The total number of inductees in the Circle of Honor is 96, including this year's honorees. Ten teams have also been enshrined. Plaques honoring the individuals and teams are anchored on the inner walls surrounding the main concourse of the Stan Sheriff Center. 
 
Brief biographies of the 2011 Circle of Honor inductees are listed below: 

The first Asian-American woman elected to Congress, the late Patsy Takemoto Mink championed the Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act, which opened the door of opportunity for female athletes throughout the country. It was later renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity In Education Act in her honor.

A 1948 graduate of the University of Hawai'i, she received her law degree from the University of Chicago before returning to her home state to open her own law practice and teach at UH. Several years later, she began her political career with the territorial House of Representatives while also serving in both the territorial and state Senate before winning a seat in Congress in 1965.

During her first six-year term as a U.S. Representative, she became the first woman and Asian-American to run for U.S. President in 1972. She also ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate until beginning her second stint in Congress in 1990.

Mink served another six-year term until her untimely death in 2002, the same year she was posthumously re-elected to another term in Congress.
 
Natasha Kai is considered the greatest player in Rainbow Wahine soccer history. Upon completion of her four-year career, she held virtually every offensive school record.

She was the school's first All-American in 2003 and the first player in Western Athletic Conference history to be named three-time league player of the year. She followed up a WAC Freshman of the Year season by leading the nation in goals scored as a sophomore.

The Kahuku High School graduate continued her dominance in the sport the next two years, being named a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy as the nation's player of the year in 2004 and leading the Rainbow Wahine to their second regular season title in three years as a senior.

She left UH having shattered more than two dozen school and conference records including school marks for goals in a match (5), season (29), and career (72).

Following UH, she became the first female player from Hawai'i to be selected to the U.S. National Team and won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She is a veteran of the Women's Professional Soccer League and in 2008, helped Sky Blue FC to the championship.
 
In just two seasons with the Rainbow Wahine, Brooke Wilkins left her mark as the most dominant pitcher in the program's history. She was a two-time All-American and led Hawai'i to back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances in 1994 and '95

A native of Australia, Wilkins shattered school career records for wins (58), including 32 shutouts and five no-hitters, strikeouts (585), and earned run average (0.68).

As a freshman, she led the Rainbow Wahine to a 51-14 record, their first-ever Big West Conference championship, and a No. 7 national ranking. In 1995, she earned her second Big West Pitcher of the Year award and became the program's first NFCA first-team All-American with another 29-win season. She led UH to within two wins of its first Women's College World Series appearance.

Once rated as one of the fastest pitchers in the world, Wilkins represented Australia in three Olympics, winning bronze in 1996 and 2000 and silver in 2004. Upon completion of her international career, she was inducted into the Softball Australia Hall of Fame in 2008.