Kea'au graduate and Gonzaga senior Sarah Sheffield is the second student-athlete to earn three Bill Gee/Monte Ito Memorial Scholarship Awards, while recent Roosevelt graduate Natalie Nakamine captured her first in the eighth annual program.

The 2006-2007 winners will be honored tonight at the David S. Ishii Foundation benefit tournament at Pearl Country Club.

The two $1,500 scholarships honor the memorable sportswriting careers of Bill Gee and Monte Ito. Gee was a sportswriter and editor for the Star-Bulletin, and Ito covered sports for more than 50 years for The Honolulu Advertiser. Both are in the Hawai'i Golf Hall of Fame.

The newspapers sponsor the awards, with the Ishii Foundation administering the program. Winners are honored for "outstanding achievements and/or potential in journalism and a sincere appreciation of golf." 'Aiea graduate Merynn Ito previously won the scholarship three times.

Sheffield, the 2004 Kea'au valedictorian and editor of the school paper, also won Gee/Ito scholarships in 2004 and 2005. She will captain Gonzaga's golf team in the fall. She has a cumulative grade point average of 3.78, majoring in English and international studies. Sheffield had two top-10 finishes as a junior and is a two-time academic All-American. She was recently named to Gonzaga's President's List.

Nakamine chose golf as her sport at age 8 after trying basketball, baseball, volleyball and soccer. The honor student learned the game from her late father and progressed through the junior programs, earning four letters at Roosevelt. She was a three-time OIA first-team selection and took fourth at this year's OIA Championship. Nakamine graduated with a 3.83 GPA and will attend University of Puget Sound.