The opportunity to compete for one of the top collegiate track and field programs in the nation was too much to pass up for Word of Life senior Careena Onosai, who will attend UCLA on a full-ride scholarship, according to her father.

Onosai said last year that she planned to walk on to the women's volleyball and track and field programs at the University of Hawai'i, but instead is expected to sign with UCLA at Word of Life Academy today.

"I feel I'm making the right decision, not just athletically but academically as well," Onosai said last night. "I'm really excited. I'm nervous, (but) it's a happy nervous."

Joe Onosai said playing for UH was his daughter's "dream. ... it was a hard decision for her, but she really felt this was an opportunity she couldn't resist.

"We felt as a family that her future was brighter in throwing. And UCLA is the top throwing school in the nation that has produced more Olympians than any other college."

Onosai, the defending prep state champion in the shot put and discus, is expected to throw the hammer, javelin and discus for the Bruins.

"They see an all-around thrower, instead of a specialized athlete," said her father, a former standout football lineman at UH. "They backed that up by offering her a full ride. That meant more to us than anything else ... that they believed in her."

Onosai, an Advertiser All-State volleyball second-team selection, is also on the Word of Life basketball and track and field teams. She has yet to compete in track this season because of a stress fracture in her lower back. She is expected to return for the Punahou Relays, which are April 27 through 29.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.