The Jack Bonham Award was presented to Lily Wahinekapu (women’s basketball), Jordan Wedderburn (women’s water polo) and Brayden Schager (football) at the 12th annual H Awards on April 30. The Bonham Award is the University of Hawaiʻi Athletics Department’s highest individual honor.
Leadership on the court, in the pool and on the field, along with excellence in the classroom and service in the community link the 2025 recipients.
Lily Wahinekapu
ʻOhana has been at the core of Wahinekapu’s decorated three-year athletic and academic careers as a member of the Rainbow Wahine basketball program. Playing in front of family and friends in the arena and alongside her sister in the UH backcourt, Wahinekapu led the team in scoring each of her three seasons while helping the ‘Bows capture two Big West regular-season titles and a conference tournament championship on their way to three national postseason tournament appearances.
She was twice named to the All-Big West first team and in 2025 became the third UH player to be named Big West Player of the Year. She became the 25th member of the program’s 1,000-point club and ended her career 17th on the all-time scoring list. She also ranks seventh in made 3-pointers.
A team captain as a senior, Wahinekapu received the Ah Chew Goo Award as the program’s “most valuable team player.” In the classroom, she earned Academic All-Big West honors each of her three years at UH and was twice named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
The product of Kāneʻohe, Wahinekapu also gave back to the Windward Oʻahu community in service projects including cleanups at Waimānalo Beach and Punaluʻu Loʻi. She also helped fundraise for the Hawaiʻi Foodbank as part of Maui wildfire relief efforts and has worked with special needs children with Team Impact.
“Lily Wahinekapu has been one of my favorite athletes to coach,” UH women’s basketball head coach Laura Beeman said. “She is passionate and an incredible teammate. She has represented the university and the state with pride.”
Jordan Wedderburn
Prioritizing team success over individual accolades, Jordan Wedderburn has exemplified selfless leadership while contributing to the most successful four-year stretch in UH water polo history.
Wedderburn served as a team captain for South Africa’s water polo team in the Tokyo Olympic Games before enrolling at UH and has ranked among the team’s scoring leaders each of her four years while thriving in varying roles within the lineup. She further elevated her production as a senior, posting a career-high 65 goals entering the NCAA Championship to join UH’s career top 10. She also tied program records with three Big West Player of the Week awards this season and four in her career.
She has helped UH claim three Big West regular-season titles with a 26-1 cumulative record in conference play, and back-to-back Big West Championship crowns. She helped UH ascend to No. 2 in the national polls in 2024—the highest ranking in program history—and the ‘Bows have maintained a spot in the top three for much of this season.
“Jordan has always been the spirit of the team, providing energy in a positive manner whenever the team needs it,” UH water polo coach James Robinson said. “Jordan plays a role for this team that she never played before in her water polo career. Every year Jordan has had to make sacrifices and play a different role than she probably would like to, but she has never once complained.”
Wedderburn holds a 3.78 grade-point average while majoring in kinesiology and entered her senior year as a two-time Academic All-Big West and ACWPC All-Academic honoree.
She has served as a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative for two years and worked with Access Surf, helping those with physical or cognitive disabilities to swim or surf. She also participated in Kōkua Learning Farm work days and with the Child Life Program, spending time with children going through treatment for retinoblastoma (an eye cancer) and their families.
Brayden Schager
On the field, Brayden Schager earned a place among UH’s storied line of quarterbacks over his career as a three-year starter. Off the field, his efforts to spread joy to young people with special needs—both in Hawaiʻi and his home state of Texas—drew national acclaim.
Schager made 37 starts at quarterback in his UH career, the second highest total in program history, including a record streak of 33 in a row. He picked up All-Mountain West honorable mention recognition in 2023 and closed his career ranked among the most prolific passers in program history at No. 4 in passing yards (9,096) and total offense (9,415). He’s also fifth in passing touchdowns (60) and touchdowns responsible for (68).
A three-time Academic All-Mountain West honoree, Schager was one of 11 FBS players nationally selected to the 2024 AFCA Good Works Team, which honored student-athletes for their unwavering commitment to community service and their “good works” off the field. He was also a semifinalist for the 2024 Wuerffel Award, considered college football’s premier honor for community service.
Throughout his stay in Hawaiʻi, he remained committed to organizing the Buddy Bowl, an event he founded with his sister in their hometown of Highland Park, Texas. The game gives athletes with physical and mental disabilities an opportunity to play with their peers with the support of fans, the Highland Park football team and cheerleaders. During his time in Hawaiʻi, he participated in the Unity Prom for special needs students and took part in the Night to Shine where he formed a close bond with a dear friend with special needs who he continues to call and text. He also helped develop the BraddahBall, with proceeds going to Maui relief efforts.
“He was a team captain for us and spent the last three years on our leadership committee,” UH football coach Timmy Chang said. “He has been a focal point of the program, not only on the field but off the field as well with his engagement within the community. … He is an exceptional individual and that was displayed during his time at the University of Hawaiʻi. Brayden Schager helped lay the foundation for the future of our program.”
