HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i Athletics Department hosted the 12^th annual "H Awards" Wednesday night at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, which highlighted the success of its teams and student-athletes during the 2024-25 season both in the classroom and in their fields of play.
 
The evening was highlighted with the announcement of the Jack Bonham Award, which is considered the department's highest award. The award is presented to the top male and female senior student-athlete who "best exemplifies the ideals for which Jack Bonham stood for in the areas of athletic excellence, academic achievement, public service, leadership and character." The football team's Brayden Schager was the male recipient while the women's award resulted in a tie for the second straight year as Lily Wahinekapu of basketball and Jordan Wedderburn of water polo took home the award. For more about the Bonham Award winners, click here.
 
The department's highest academic award, the Jennifer Matsuda Award, was awarded to Alex Parks of men's volleyball, soccer's Izzy Ayala and Lilian Turban of track and field. Parks, a sophomore middle blocker, is majoring in finance with a 3.97 grade point average. Ayala, a sophomore midfielder, has a 3.99 GPA while majoring in kinesiology and rehabilitation science and a minor in public health. Turban, a high jumper, has a 3.99 GPA as a communication major.
 
The top team academic awards went to men's golf, women's golf and women's tennis. Men's golf earned a cumulative 3.63 GPA to claim the honor for the second straight year. Women's tennis has a 3.70 cumulative GPA and won the women's team award for the third time in the last four years. Women's golf posted a team semester GPA of 3.64 and earned the highest semester GPA among the 21 sports teams.
 
Cam Stone of football and Sammie Gordon of track and field were the recipients of the Ho'omau Award, which was presented to the male and female student-athletes who were the most academically resilient. Academic advisor Erika Huddle told Gordon's story and how she overcame brain surgery to excel in both the classroom and the track, where as a heptathlete, she competes in seven different disciplines. Academic advisor Garrett Clanin spoke about Stone's resiliency as a teen following the death of his mother and overcoming academic hurdles to eventually earn his college degree at UH Mānoa last semester.
 
The men's basketball team won the inaugural Community Service Award for their outstanding volunteerism. The team participated in several community service events throughout the year including Jaguar Jog at Aina Haina Elementary; reading program at Waikiki Elementary; hospital visits, youth clinics, and much more.
 
Wahinekapu and swimmer Karol Ostrowski were named the Rainbow Wahine Athlete of the Year and Rainbow Warrior Athlete of the Year, respectively, for their athletic achievements in 2024-25. Wahinekapu earned Big West Player of the Year honors while helping the Rainbow Wahine basketball team claim a second straight conference regular-season championship. Ostrowski captured five gold medals in record-breaking performances at the Big West Championships and capped his season by setting a school record in the 100 free at the NCAA Championships.
 
The Rookie of the Year awards went to diver Juan Esteban Ramirez Tamayo and soccer's Nalani Damacion. Ramirez Tamayo was voted the Big West Men's Diver of the Year and Freshman Diver of the Year after claiming gold in the 1-meter and platform events and silver in the 3-meter at the conference championship meet. Damacion was the first UH player to earn the Big West Midfielder of the Year award and made the All-West Region First Team. She tied a program record with seven game-winning goals to help the Rainbow Wahine capture their first Big West regular-season championship.
 
Other awards handed out were the top scholar-athlete from each team, community service award, spring sport star, and Pono and Mana awards.

The event was emceed by Spectrum Sports' Scott Robbs along with student-athletes Fabiola Zamora (soccer) and Logan Euker (swim).

2024-25 H Awards Honorees
The Jennifer Matsuda Award: Alex Parks (MVB), Lilian Turban (T&F), Izzy Ayala (SOC)
Top Academic Teams: Men's Golf, Women's Golf, Women's Tennis
Ho'omau Award: Cam Stone (FB), Sammie Gordon (T&F)
Male Rookie of the Year: Juan Esteban Ramirez Tamayo (DIVE)
Female Rookie of the Year: Nalani Damacion (SOC)
Rainbow Warrior Athlete of the Year: Karol Ostrowski (SWIM)
Rainbow Wahine Athlete of the Year: Lily Wahinekapu (WBB)
Jack Bonham Award: Brayden Schager (FB), Lily Wahinekapu (WBB), Jordan Wedderburn (WP)
 
Top Team Scholar Athlete: Cory Ronan (BSB), Akira Jacobs (MBB), Brooklyn Rewers (WBB), Sarah Burton (BVB), Zola O'Donnell (XC), Riis Weber (FB), James Whitworth (MGOLF), Ting-Yu Liu & Kellie Yamane (WGOLF), Arden Rathkopf (Co-SAIL), Amanda Turner (WSAIL), Izzy Ayala (SOC), Jamie McGaughey (SB), Mario Surkovic (MS&D), Delara Ditterich (WS&D), Sohta Urano (MTEN), Joelle Lanz (WTEN), Lilian Turban (T&F), Alex Parks (MVB), Victoria Leyva (WVB), Tara Logan (WP), Rachel Radona (CHEER)