Shantel Antonio always kept working on her golf swing and everything came together, like a finished puzzle, in her senior season at Concordia (Portland), where the Cavaliers won their first Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship.
The 2015 Kamehameha graduate was second on the team in stroke average at 78.7, won three events and earned a bid to the NCAA Division II regionals.
She was recruited by UHH, where she played for two years then transferred to Concordia, not to be confused with Concordia Irvine, a member of the PacWest and also part of the West Region, along with the GNAC and CCAA.
Antonio had a double scoop of postseason honors. She was named to the All-GNAC first team and GNAC All-Academic team.
She’s majoring in exercise sport science with a minor in niology and graduates in December. She aspires to be a physician’s assistant.
Until then, she’ll hang out in her hometown and enjoy the summer.
“I’ll be playing in a few tournaments but mostly working at a golf course,” she said.
She’s come a long way since her days as a Warrior. Antonio was twice the BIIF individual runner-up. Kamehameha never had the depth to challenge powerhouse Waiakea for the BIIF team title.
When she challenged herself and transferred to Concordia, Antonio found teammates as good or better than her. They pushed her to become better. She worked to earn her playing time.
“I played against very talented teammates who constantly pushed me every day in practice,” Antonio said. “It made me work harder and focus more.”
At the NCAA West regional, Antonio shot 14 over 77-78-72 for a 227 total, 13 strokes behind medalist Dallas Baptist’s Ann Parmerter’s 1 over 214 total.
In May, Antonio tied for 19th place, a far cry from first place but a gold star on a career that kept trending skyward.
“Concordia provided me with so many amazing opportunities, and I’m forever grateful to the program for taking a chance on me,” she said.
In April at the GNAC championships, Antonio fired a 10 over 74-78—152 total to claim fourth, Concordia’s highest finish. Freshman Kaley Saludares, a 2018 Waiakea graduate was seventh with a 77-78—155 total. Saludares has transferred from Concordia after compiling a 80.1 average.
Of all the great golf courses Antonio has played in her life, her crowning moment came on a resort course in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, famous for its floating green.
The best memories are made with teammates, who double as best friends. Antonio hit the jackpot there.
“It was amazing, getting to earn a huge with the team was the highlight of my career,” she said. “It was awesome to see all the hard work pay off and get to enjoy the moment with my teammates.
“It’s always great to have Hawaii kids on the roster, especially BIIF players. Kaley was a huge asset to the team. The best thing was making lifelong friends on and off the course, being able to play for great coaches and teammates.”
She earned two scholarships, one from UHH and then another from Concordia. Antonio followed her own blueprint to land those deals.
“If you’re honest and work hard, that’s all that matters,” said Antonio, who still remembers her days at the Hilo Muni driving range. “My biggest influences came from my swing coach Lee Hardy and the coaches at UHH. They all believed in me when I wasn’t very good and pushed me to go above my comfort zone and grow as a player and person.
“I also have to give credit to my coaches at Concordia for constantly believing in me as well.”
Antonio could also give credit to one more person. She worked hard and produced her best experience in college.
She, like the others, believed in herself.
