It’s amazing how many great athletes come from the 808.
Jocelyn Alo’s athletic performance was hard to miss when she was playing softball and wrestling in high school in Hawaii.
She won a state wrestling championship at Kahuku as a sophomore, and then, after transferring to Campbell, she went on a tear as a softball player, leading the Sabers to state titles in 2016 and 2017. She was Hawaii’s player of the year as a junior and a senior.
From my point of view, as someone who has covered softball in Hawaii extensively, she is the best player to come through the state’s ranks. At Campbell, she was a leader, a hammering power hitter and a defensive stalwart.
AND NOW, ba-dum-dum, drum roll please: Jocelyn Alo, a senior star at Oklahoma, is the USA Softball Player of the Year.
Former Campbell star and Kahuku state wrestling champion Jocelyn Alo is the 2021 USA Softball Player of the Year. (Image credit: espn.com).
For people in Hawaii who saw Alo play, there is little surprise that she has come through with this amazing accomplishment.
“I just want to say, through Christ all things are possible, and I’m just so thankful for this award,” Alo told SI.com in Tuesday post: Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo Named USA Softball Player Of The Year. “I would just like to thank my parents, too, for being with me every step of the way. And coach (Patty) Gasso and the rest of the coaching staff for taking a chance on a kid from Hawaii and the coaches before that. They’ve helped me get to this moment.”
AND OF COURSE, she added a nod to all of the Hawaii athletes working hard to make their sports dreams come true:
“I just want to say to Hawaii, I love you guys, and to the Polynesian community that things like this can happen with hard work and dedication.”
Alo is batting .487 and leads the nation in home runs with 30 and in slugging percentage at 1.135. She also has 82 RBIs and was named the Big 12 Player of the Year last month.
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Previous stories about Jocelyn Alo by Bedrock Sports Hawaii’s Nick Abramo:
>> Feb 8, 2017, Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Campbell’s Jocelyn Alo Is In A League Of Her Own
>> March 19, 2017, Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Campbell’s Jocelyn Alo Makes Mililani Pay For Fat Pitch
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The Sooners (with an amazing 50-2 record) swept Washington to win the Norman Super Regional and advance to the Women’s College World Series.
Oklahoma plays James Madison on Thursday in the WCWS opener. Earlier this season, the Sooners compiled a 40-game winning streak, the third longest in NCAA Division I history.
Below is a Big 12 video interview of Alo from earlier this season.
And the video below is of Alo as a sophomore in high school defeating Aiea’s Sarah Miner for the 184-pound championship at the 2015 Hawaii state wrestling championships.
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>> Hawaii High School Athletic Association Hall Of Honor Grows to 468 Members
>> BREAKING!!!: HHSAA Chooses 12 Class Of 2021 Inductees To Hall Of Honor!!!
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