Growing up on the beaches of Oceanside, Calif. and Honolulu, Hawaii, UH multi-sport athlete Sunshine Uli has the name and laid-back personality to match her tropical heritage.
"Everything in Hawaii is very go-with-the-flow, and I was definitely at the beach whenever I had a chance," Uli said.
While she adopted an easy-going attitude from her Hawaiian background, the sociology senior says there is a competitive and driven side to her as well. Nicknamed "Shine" by her teammates, Uli plays both women’s basketball and volleyball at UH and will finish her last year of eligibility next season after red-shirting as a junior in both sports last season.
"I am super competitive, so playing more than one sport is a great opportunity for someone with my mentality," Uli said.At 5’11, Uli has the height and, based on her long road to UH, the experience to be a premier college athlete. She began honing her athletic skills in Honolulu where she not only participated in four sports (basketball, volleyball, track and wrestling), but also won two consecutive state championships in women’s wrestling.
Uli won her first state title during her inaugural season in the sport, but decided to stick with basketball and volleyball when she signed with Barton County Community College in Kansas before transferring to UH in 2006.
"I had a lot of offers to wrestle in college, but I just decided that wrestling in college would be too demanding," Uli said.
Playing basketball and volleyball has proven to be demanding for Uli as well, as she must attend both sports’ practices while their seasons overlap in the spring. She lifts weights and condition in the morning for basketball, and then goes straight to volleyball practice in the afternoon after class.
"It gets very tough when we are still in the Conference tournament for volleyball and basketball season starts," Uli said.
Despite the grueling schedule, Uli says she wouldn’t have it any other way, though she admits out of the two sports, basketball is her passion.
"I have a totally different feeling when I’m on the basketball court, and I can play for hours, she said."
Through all the pressure from athletics, she still finds time to hold a part-time job when she is not practicing and says, as one of eight children, she is glad to help contribute financially to her family who lives in Honolulu.
Uli says she can’t wait to make her own contributions during her last year with UH athletics, and is eager to participate after a long red-shirt year. Uli plans to extend her basketball career either in Europe or even the WNBA after her time at UH.
"I want to go as far as this sport takes me," she said. "You’re only young once, and I want to make the most of it."
