Breaking News
Local Sports

Senior Spotlight: Akamines excited for separate college journeys

By Robert Collias 6 min read

Senior Spotlight is a special series highlighting standout MIL student-athletes in fall and winter sports as they reflect upon their high school careers and look toward the future. Stories will run periodically in The Maui News.

For the first time this fall, the Akamine twins -- Ashley and Abby -- will be playing basketball far, far away from each other.

The nearly inseparable duo has grown up watching and playing basketball for Lahainaluna High School.

Injuries have been the only thing that has kept them from being on the floor together, but with their different college lives ahead that may turn out to be a blessing.

"Since we didn't really get to play much with each other these past two years I don't think it's going to be too different," Abby Akamine said. "But I'm definitely going to miss Ashley."

Ashley Akamine said the pair started playing basketball in the second grade. They are fine but still somewhat bummed that their senior season of basketball was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"After being in this program for so long, going to every single senior night -- I've been to like six, my sister and I -- and I always dreamed about having one, and just knowing that we won't have one just makes me really emotional," Ashley said. "I already kind of knew it wasn't going to happen, but I really prioritize the health of my family and my friends, so I just have to put that over my basketball season."

Abby will be attending Ohio Northern University, a direct entry pharmacy school in Ada, Ohio, where she will major in pharmacology. She plans to play basketball for the NCAA Division III school.

"I'm really excited, I really love the girls in Ohio and they have two pharmacy majors on their team as well," Abby said. "I'm really looking forward to heading up there, seeing the snow. We've only been in snow once, when we were 5 we went on a family vacation to the Grand Canyon."

About 2,300 miles west, Ashley will be attending Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash., also a D-III school where she plans to play basketball and major in computer science.

"I know I'm going to really miss Abby -- I know when we're out there playing we'll probably always be thinking about it," Ashley said. "Like, 'I wonder what she'd have done?' I know after every game I will probably have to call her and tell her what happened and ask her what happened in her game."

Abby Akamine is the president of the Lahainaluna Health Occupation Students of America club and has been a second-place finisher two years in a row in the statewide high school pharmacology contest.

"I found out I really love learning about pharmacology, so I want to be a pharmacist," Abby said. "Ohio Northern has been my first option since I started applying to colleges, being that it's a pharmacy school I really prioritized my education and I really want to be a pharmacist."

She hasn't stepped foot on campus yet, but she's not worried about that.

"I think it's going to be fun because, you know, being from Maui, being on this island for my whole life I think it's going to be a really fun, new experience," Abby said. "I asked the juniors on the team that are pharmacy majors and they said they have no issue at all balancing the two."

Both sisters carry cumulative grade-point averages of 4.048. Ashley is proud of her sister, but also excited for the future.

"I don't have any gold medals like Abby, but I've just been into computer science and engineering and stuff like that since my freshman year at Lahainaluna," Ashley said. "So I'm just planning to continue my passion for that."

Lahainaluna coach Todd Rickard will miss his impressive twins. Ashley was a second-team Maui Interscholastic League All-Star last season, while Abby was honorable mention.

"They are intelligent young ladies, good leaders and the one thing about them is they come on the court and they come ready to work," Rickard said. "They are never going to try and take days off, they never will come with the mentality of being lazy. Their mentality is always come out and work hard.

"They've been that way since they were fifth grade, sixth grade. They've come a long, long way, I will tell you that. I mean, they came a super long way and it is all because of the work they put in."

Injuries are the only thing that kept the pair from playing together over the years. Ashley hurt her left knee in a club practice last month but expects to be cleared soon. She missed much of her junior season with a sprained ligament in her right knee.

"I tore my meniscus in my knee and I just had surgery," Ashley said. "I have my post-op check-up March 17th and I think I should be cleared by that point. I can pretty much walk OK right now."

Abby tore her ACL and LCL late in her junior year, just about the same time Ashley returned to the Lunas with two games left in the regular season.

"I had surgery for that last March and just got cleared for full contact in December," Abby said.

Both girls plan to run track this spring but will miss Luna Nation and the undying support they get from the basketball crowd. That following usually places Lady Lunas games in the Lahaina Civic Center, which has more seating capacity than the school's on-campus gym.

Perhaps Ashley said it best.

"I don't think anything can beat all the people we've grown up with and everyone we've known," she said. "I know I'm just going to really miss it and hopefully we'll both find at least a similar community when we go to college to support us."

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

Starting at /week.