The Big Island Interscholastic Federation recently released its All-League selections for the 2026 season, and headlining the bunch was Boys Player of the Year Leo Saito and Girls Player of the Year Khloe Nakagawa — who were both crowned individual conference champions and placed the highest in the BIIF at the state tournaments earlier this month on Oahu.

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The Big Island Interscholastic Federation recently released its All-League selections for the 2026 season, and headlining the bunch was Boys Player of the Year Leo Saito and Girls Player of the Year Khloe Nakagawa — who were both crowned individual conference champions and placed the highest in the BIIF at the state tournaments earlier this month on Oahu.

Saito, who just finished his freshman season with St. Joseph’s, won the boys BIIF title with a two-round score of 140 (-4). He then shot 150 (+6) a week later at the state finals, tying for third overall. While Saito was one of the youngest playing in the competition, he still felt relaxed and confident heading in.

“I felt that if I just play like any other tournament I have played, then I would be in contention throughout the whole tournament,” Saito told the paper. “I was ready to win states right after the BIIF Championship.

“I have played many tournaments where most of the golfers are older than me, so I wasn’t nervous and it was nothing new.”

As the season went on, Saito played better and better. The young star won the final three matches of the BIIF season, improving his average score to 72.4. His front and back-nine averages were nearly identical, attesting to his consistency throughout the two-month-long season. Out of the 216 holes he played this season, Saito birdied over 22% of them.

Saito began golfing in 2019, when he was 8 years old. While he enjoys the daily process of getting a little bit better each day, he also appreciates the life lessons the game has taught him from the jump.

“What I enjoy about golf is the work and grind I put in everyday to become not only a better golfer, but also a better person,” Saito said. “And then I can test my skills against other great players in tournaments.”

Saito believes the strongest part of his game is chipping, as he fancies his 60-degree wedge over any other club in his bag. He hopes to improve his putting game in the offseason.

While Saito’s inaugural BIIF season was a striking success, it also came with challenges. Attending numerous BIIF and mainland tournaments throughout the year, Saito had to learn how to balance his schoolwork and golf game. Nonetheless, he believes the busy schedule helped him grow as a player and person.

“With a lot of the tournaments being on weekdays, being absent from school was tough,” Saito explained. “I was also traveling to the mainland a lot, so fitting school, golf and homework was a good testament of time management. It was also a good learning experience about not only playing for myself, but also for my school.”

Nakagawa, an HPA sophomore, had an unforgettable second season — especially at the beginning of the state tournament. On Hole 18 of Round 1, Nakagawa did the impossible on the par 3 — she clinched a hole-in-one.

“I remember having one swing thought in my head: just turn my shoulders,” Nakagawa recalled. “I was also feeling a little rushed because our group was behind pace. But as soon as I hit the shot, I knew I caught it pure.

“I watched the ball take one bounce to the right and then disappear. Since it was my first hole-in-one, I was honestly shocked and immediately looked at my dad to make sure it had really gone in.”

Nakagawa finished the tournament with a two-round score of 155 (+11), tying for 10th overall. She shot 75 in Round 1 and 80 in Round 2 — placing higher than she did in 2025.

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“I felt very excited to finish higher in the state tournament than I did last year,” Nakagawa said. “Before the first round, I set a goal for myself to improve on my previous finish, so I’m very proud that I was able to accomplish that. I am also very honored to receive (BIIF) player of the year.”

A week prior, Nakagawa shot 151 to win the BIIF girls title — beating Waiakea’s Jordyn Kawachi by four strokes. Nakagawa believed the opening round of the BIIF finals at Hualalai is where her game really started to take off.

“That was the round where everything finally clicked for me,” she said. “I felt really confident going into the round because we were playing at a course I truly enjoy. That round also gave me a boost of confidence heading into the final round at Kohanaiki.”

Nakagawa began golfing at age 11. Desperate to find an outdoor activity during the pandemic, Nakagawa and her little brother got hooked quickly. She mainly practices at Mauna Lani — a challenging, first-class course that she credits for helping develop her game.

While Nakagawa placed in the top three five times during the BIIF slate, she had some hurdles to overcome at the start of the 2026 season. Nakagawa struggled to trust her swing — even on her drives, which she says is the strongest part of her game — which led to some frustrations. However, with the help of head coach Mike Pitts, Nakagawa was able to get back on track and reach her goals.

“One specific challenge I had to work through was my putting alignment,” she said. “It took some time to figure out, but by the middle of the season I was able to improve it and become much more confident on the greens.”

Despite the island crowns and high finishes at states, this season left both Saito and Nakagawa wanting more. They plan to attack the offseason motivated to climb even higher next season.

“Finishing third at states definitely gave me more motivation to win the whole thing next season,” Saito said. “After states, I was pretty disappointed in myself, but that gave me another thing to work towards. Also, I feel like high school golf was a good test in my golf game and good preparation to get me back into tournament golf to be ready for the summer.”

“(Tying for 10th at states) has definitely motivated me to work even harder this offseason and prepare for next season so I can hopefully finish even higher,” Nakagawa said. “This summer, I’ve been focusing on improving my shorter wedge shots and putting because I want those areas of my game to be sharper heading into my upcoming tournaments.”

Although the pair isn’t completely satisfied, they can’t forget the relationships, growth and all-around fun they had throughout the season. After all, it’s the journey that matters most.

“I will remember the fun conversations on and off the course and the competitive matches I had every tournament, and I appreciate the people who helped me get better everyday,” Saito said. “I am grateful for my school, who supported me throughout the season and always showed love. I am thankful for my family, coaches and the community for always being supportive and giving me these opportunities to test my golf game.”

Nakagawa echoed similar thoughts to Saito, referencing the strong relationships within the local youth golf community.

“I’ll remember all the small moments I shared on the course with my friends,” she said. “I feel like the connections we have on the Big Island are very strong, and you could really see that with how everyone supported each other at the state tournament.

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“I’m very grateful for the competitors I get to call my friends.”

All-BIIF selections

Boys

1st Team

• Leo Saito, SJS

• Jake Otani, Waiakea

• Noah Okazaki, Kealakehe

• Noah Miyazono, Waiakea

• Skylar Miyashiro, Waiakea

2nd Team

• Iakona Manuia, Hilo

• Malakai Akeo, Kealakehe

• Kai Acosta, Kealakehe

• Mokulani Johnson, Ehunui

• Ace Akuna, Kealakehe

Girls

1st Team

• Khloe Nakagawa, HPA

• Jordyn Kawachi, Waiakea

• Madelyn Awaya, Waiakea

• Nalei Ramos

2nd Team

• Lauren Kozohara, Hilo

• Kaylee Palakiko, Kealakehe

• Helly Hughes, HPA

• Zaynie-Lee Chow, KSH