Golfer Lenore Muraoka Rittenhouse and water sportsman Richard "Buffalo" Keaulana comprise the 2010 class of the Hawai'i Sports Hall of Fame, it was announced yesterday .

They will be inducted in ceremonies March 2, 2010, at the Honolulu Country Club, joining more than 100 honorees across the spectrum of sports in the state.

Rittenhouse expressed "surprise" yesterday upon being told of her selection but, then, her career and success in the sport were both unexpected, too.

Her major sport was basketball until a surfing accident cost her a scholarship at the University of Hawai'i where she went on to make a name for herself as a golfer, eventually becoming the Rainbow Wahine's most valuable performer in 1978.

In 1983 at age 27, she won the LPGA Tour's United Virginia Bank Golf Classic, 25 years after Jackie Pung, another Hawai'i product, first won an LPGA event.

Rittenhouse , who currently lives in North Carolina, is completing nursing school and was a founding member of the LPGA's senior tour.

Keaulana grew up in the ocean, prompting family members to nickname him "Water Buffalo" at an early age. He became an accomplished water sportsman and teacher earning fame beyond the Wai'anae Coast where he became a legendary figure.

Keaulana won the 1960 Mäkaha International Surfing Championship but made his biggest contributions rescuing swimmers and surfers. In 1969, he became a lifeguard for the City and County of Honolulu.

In recognition of his service, a statue was erected in his honor near the Mäkaha Library.

Keaulana was inducted into the Huntington Beach (Calif.) Surfing Walk of Fame in 2005.

Banquet ticket information is available at 540-5705. The Hawai'i Sports Hall of Fame Web site is www.hawaiisportshalloffame.com.