Machida won three state titles — two in the high jump and one in diving. This past year, she completed a rare double sweep with titles in diving and high jump.

Adolpho recently wrapped up a career that included 15 varsity letters, two MIL cross country titles, two top-10 state finishes in cross country, three MIL track crowns, three trips to state team tournaments and six more appearances in individual state meets. He is the first athlete from Moloka'i to receive the honor.

"It feels good, I mean I'm happy for me now that I have graduated,'' Adolpho said to The Maui News. "It is more about setting the example now. If I am the first one, hopefully there will be several more from Moloka'i. I hope I have given them something to aspire to.''

"I am really honored because I know how many amazing athletes there are in the MIL, especially in team sports like the (state champion) Baldwin softball team, and just to be up there with all the great athletes, it is amazing,'' Machida said. "It is a special feeling.''

Machida, who will compete on the track team at Linfield (Ore.), suffered an elbow injury five years ago that ended a 10-year gymnastics career. That forced her to find other athletic outlets.

"The doctor told me there was no way to go back to gymnastics,'' she said. "After that, I was just mad at him because I didn't think he even gave me a chance to recover. He said that before I even did physical therapy and stuff. To have someone tell you that you can't do something that you have been doing for 10 years when you are 13 — it was shocking.''

Machida won four league diving titles. At the state diving meet, she finished fifth, fifth and second before winning it this year.

"I think she is probably the strongest female athlete that I have coached,'' said Dr. Dennis Rowe, who has been coaching MIL divers since 1991. "She has an amazing ability that makes her a great diver. She is just incredibly talented and beautiful to watch as a diver. She does a couple of dives better than anybody I have ever had and I will miss watching her dive. Mentally, she is as good or better than anybody I have coached.''

Machida had five Advanced Placement classes this year — physics, English, calculus, statistics and economics — and had seven overall in high school.

She finished her prep academic career No. 2 overall in her class of more than 400 with a cumulative grade-point of 4.228 — the one B she received in high school, during the third quarter of her junior year in AP chemistry, still bothers her.

Moloka'i boys basketball coach Lee DeRouin saw Adolpho throughout the year. He's also an assistant girls cross country coach and had Adolpho in one of his anatomy and physiology classes at Moloka'i.

"The way he carried himself on campus and on the athletic field — it was always with a remarkable sense of class," DeRouin said. "He doesn't showboat or anything like that. It is always class, he is just a first-class kid. He has respect for coaches, teammates, fans, alumni and parents. He also had a burning desire to do well for his family, for his school, for the whole community.''

Adolpho, who had a 3.2 grade point average and was the lead in the school play as a junior, will run at Southern Utah University.

Manu Adolpho, Moloka'i High

• 15 varsity letters (4 cross country, 4 track, 4 basketball, 3 volleyball)

• Two MIL cross country individual titles (2005, 2006)

• Two ninth-place finishes at state cross country meet (2005, 2006)

• Member of two state tournament volleyball teams (2004, 2005)

• Member of state tournament basketball team (2007)

• MIL Division II basketball Player of the Year (2007)

• MIL volleyball first-team All-Star (2006)

• Two-time state qualifier in track (2005, 2007)

• Three-time MIL track champion (1,500 and 3,000, 2005; 1,500, 2006)

Chelsea Machida, Maui High

• 11 varsity letters (4 track, 4 diving, 3 cross country)

• Four-time state medalist in 1-meter diving

• Four-time MIL diving champion

• State diving champion (2007)

• Three-time state medalist in high jump

• Two state titles in high jump (2006, 2007)

• Three MIL high jump titles (2004, 2005, 2007)