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The Maui News 2022 MIL Golf All-Stars

Soldwisch, Cabello, Jonke honored

Ariya Soldwisch helped lead the Baldwin High School girls to the MIL team title before claiming the MIL individual title and placing 13th at the state championship, the highest finish among MIL girls. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos

Anson Cabello, Dillon Jonke and Ariya Soldwisch all started playing competitive golf from a young age. Their years of work put into the sport they love shined through in their first season of Maui Interscholastic League play.

Juniors Cabello of Kamehameha Schools Maui and Jonke of Maui Prep are The Maui News’ MIL co-Boy Golfers of the Year, while Baldwin sophomore Ariya Soldwisch received MIL Girl Golfer of the Year honors.

“I’m very thankful that I’ve been given that award. I’ve worked hard at golf and have had a true passion for it my entire life, ever since I was 5 years old,” said Jonke, who finished runner-up at the David S. Ishii Foundation/HHSAA boys golf state championship to lead Na Pueo to a state team title. “With that and the dedication and hard work you put in, that’s so rewarding in itself, and alongside of that, I’ve been playing with Anson my entire life, we’ve always been competitors going back and forth at all the tournaments. … He definitely deserves that reward and we’ve both put in the hard work.”

For all three Golfer of the Year honorees, 2022 was their first full MIL season after the 2020 and 2021 slates were wiped out by the pandemic.

Cabello, the MIL boys individual champion who had to withdraw from the final round of the state tournament due to illness, said on Saturday that the co-Boy Golfer of the Year honor makes him “feel grateful.”

Kamehameha Maui’s Anson Cabello won the MIL boys individual championship and was in seventh place after the first round of the state tournament before having to withdraw.

“I’m just happy that this year we had a full season,” Cabello said. “When I’m out practicing, I’m motivated by the fact that I can do better, and sometimes I play a bad round and that gives me motivation to play better. I just practice and train so that I can be the best player that I can be and to make sure that there are no excuses when I go out onto the courses and play.”

After becoming the MIL girls individual champion and leading the Bears to a team title, Soldwisch finished in 13th place at the state championship — she was the highest finisher from the MIL.

Soldwisch said last month that “I cannot believe it at all” and “I’m so honored and thankful” to be named MIL Girl Golfer of the Year.

“I’ve been working hard on my swing and game for the past year so I feel like it has really paid off,” she said.

Though accolades are sweet, she said she has always enjoyed the sport because of all the people she’s met since she started playing around 6 years old, including at junior tournaments and now MIL and state competitions.

Dillon Jonke led the Maui Prep boys to the MIL and state team championships, and placed second individually at states.

Every time she’s with her Bears teammates, they have “lots of fun and laugh,” from singing in the car to supporting and cheering each other on while on the course.

“Golf is a sport where you can meet all kinds of people and make lifelong friends,” she added. “Even now, I’m still friends with people I’ve met through junior golf when I was younger. I also love being able to travel and see different courses.”

Soldwisch is joined on the girls All-Star first team — which consists of the top finishers from the MIL individual tournament — by Baldwin teammates Anessa Riglos and Payten Shimizu, and Maui High’s Jacelyn Yun.

Jonke and Cabello are joined on the boys All-Star first team by Seabury’s Tyler Loree, Baldwin’s Ben Cafferio and Maui Prep’s Landon Long.

Now that a few weeks have passed, Jonke — who placed third at the MIL individual tournament — said Na Pueo’s first-ever state golf championship has finally settled in with the boys.

“After MILs, work wasn’t over and I just kept practicing and my swing got together a little bit and I got to play states at Kaanapali Royal Course, so we had that home course advantage,” Jonke recalled on Saturday morning while working at the Plantation Course. “So knowing everything about that course was huge, as well as just my swing and game in general was on point that week, so it was really cool to have that opportunity at states where I was able to hit the greens and putt good and shoot those low numbers.”

Being able to win for senior teammate Caleb Chumley was the biggest victory, he added.

“We had that dream and we pursued it,” said Jonke, who will take on the senior leadership role next season. “Being able to have that dynamic of working together as a team and being able to improve and work together as best we can is the biggest advantage we have over the majority of teams.”

As disappointed as he was to have withdrawn, Cabello said that he was happy to at least play the first day of his first state tournament — he played solidly and was in seventh place at the time of his withdrawal.

“This season I learned a lot about my competition, because I haven’t seen most of them since the end of last year, so I’ll be taking a lot of them on this summer, so I’ll be prepared for what to expect,” he said. “For next year, I’ll just have to keep doing what I am doing and practice a bit harder.”

And now the trio of MIL golfers have plans this summer to improve their game.

Soldwisch’s goal is to be on Hawaii’s Mary Cave Cup team, so she’ll be playing as many Hawaii State Junior Golf Association tournaments as she can.

“I learned that no matter what you score, or if you have a bad round, no tournament is the be-all end-all,” she said. “There’s always the next day and it isn’t the end of the world — even if you may feel like it is. You can always learn from your past mistakes to help better understand what you can improve on for next time.”

In addition to trying out for the annual Junior Police Academy, Jonke will be entering the IMG Junior Golf Tour qualifier on Oahu.

Cabello plans on playing in a few AJGA and HSJGA tournaments before starting his final year with the Warriors.

“Lots of golf to look forward to this summer,” he said. “Hoping to take advantage of it.”

* Dakota Grossman is at dgrossman@mauinews.com.

SECOND TEAMS

Girls–Shai Ann Baraoidan, Baldwin; Kalia Kaneta, Maui High; Kylee Dee, King Kekaulike; Anica Ancheta, Baldwin.

Boys–Caleb Chumley, Maui Prep; Christopher Salem, Maui Prep; Ian Chapital, Lahainaluna; Renner Chumley, Maui Prep; Luke Kahuhu, Kamehameha Maui.

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