There is a moment Erin Hikiji remembers during a trip to North Dakota in the summer of 2021.

Competing in only her second freestyle wrestling tournament, Hikiji was one win away from earning All-America honors. She faced Isabella Bocanegra of Arizona.

“I did a throw and I knew that was a tech (technical fall), so I was just so happy. I said, ‘Oh, my gosh!’ I was just so surprised,” said Hikiji, now in her senior year at Mililani. “I like freestyle. It’s more fun. I can throw people.”

Hikiji is also a state wrestling champion (sophomore year) and state judo champion (freshman year). The pandemic cost her a chance to earn more gold, but Trojans coach Jamie Keehu has no problem finding a comparison.

“She reminds me of Travis Lee,” said Keehu, referring to Saint Louis’ three-time state champion and two-time NCAA champion. “Erin’s mental toughness separates her from the pack. She is grounded and focused. She doesn’t take shortcuts and never makes excuses. Erin is extremely confident in her abilities, but humble enough to ask for guidance when needed.”

Freestyle, as opposed to folkstyle, or high school wrestling mode, is more popular at events like the USA Wrestling Junior National Championships in Fargo. It was a major ascent by Hikiji, whose first freestyle tournament was in the spring of ’21 in Texas.

“It was OK, but I was really out of shape, so I didn’t perform that well. I was really new to freetyle,” said Hikiji, who trains in freestyle with coaches John and Ku‘u Robinson of Hawaii Wrestling Academy. .

Months of training, sometimes twice a day, accelerated her growth.

“At Junior Nationals, I was really surprised. My goal was just to win a few matches,” said Hikiji, who had eight total matches over a two-day span.

By placing fourth in Fargo, Hikiji got to share another epic moment with her mother, Candice, and her father, Tatsuhiko.

Coach Keehu didn’t need much time to connect the dots when he first saw Hikiji compete.

“I first saw her wrestle on the first day of practice during her freshman year. The first thing I noticed was her toughness during conditioning. Watching her drill, it was obvious she had wrestling experience and was trained by good coaches. After realizing that, I pulled out a copy of her parent consent form to check her name and saw the last name Hikiji on it. Everything made sense,” Keehu said.

It was “Tats” Hikiji of Kaimuki, the first wrestler to win three state titles in a row (1968-70), who immersed Erin into a culture of training and competition. To Hikiji, Dad was Dad, not a preeminent standard-bearer among the state’s greatest wrestlers.

“We’ve just always been around wrestling. He would take me to tournaments. I can’t even remember when I started. I was just always around,” she said.

It wasn’t until Tatsuhiko had a stroke in 2015 that Erin began to learn of his wrestling history, the titles.

“I didn’t find out until I was around 10. He never talked about any of that. I didn’t know for the longest time. I didn’t know he was a three-time state champion,” she said. “He had a bowl (hair) cut.”

By then, she had begun to learn and develop her skill set on the mat.

“He taught me a lot of stuff, like a single leg. He was the coach at our club at Mililani Hongwanji (Mililani Central Tigers). Just all the basics, like a half-nelson,” she recalled. “Even before that, he would show me other things at home. My mom likes to tell me the story of how we were at the store and I was single-legging her. I was little.”

By then, Hikiji had also been coached by sensei Terry Otsuka, Candice Hikiji said. Later, sensei Jon Lum and Brad Nakamura worked with her in wrestling.

In the 2019 state wrestling championships, she placed third in the 97-pound weight class as a freshman. Soon after, Hikiji won the 98 weight class state title in judo.

A year later, she captured the state wrestling 97-pound title. Along with the All-American honor, Hikiji hasn’t slowed down since gearing up for Fargo last summer.

“I still want to train. There’s always someone better than me in Hawaii or on the mainland,” she said. “I just want to be the best I can be. I’m definitely still learning, especially with freestyle.”

This season, the absence of preseason tournaments has wrestlers and coaches wondering about what’s down the road. Much of the winter has been in slow motion, and Hikiji isn’t certain what her record is. Mom knows it well: Erin is 6-0 with three pins and three technical falls.

Mililani has not won a girls wrestling team championship since 2000. The Lady Trojans haven’t won a team state title yet.

“We have the talent for sure, but we don’t really have the numbers,” coach Keehu said. “My mentality is to try and focus on each individual kid and let the chips fall where they may. A team title would be nice, but I just want each kid to accomplish whatever goals they have for the season.”

Hikiji, who is based in the 102 weight class, has wrestled up a couple of times, she says. Ultimately, she could return to the lower weight.

“She will most likely go down to 97 pounds again because she is the only girl on the team eligible,” Keehu said. “It will open up more options for her teammates.”

The meets so far haven’t been the same compared to pre-pandemic times.

“It’s a lot smaller. Sometimes we’re finishing tournaments at 1 p.m. It’s crazy,” Hikiji said. “I haven’t really seen people. I’m sure ILH has some people. Maui and Big Island, too. It’s hard to tell because I don’t know what weight classes people are going into. I just want to be able to wrestle and not get nervous because, oh, they’re really good.”

All the while, she is maintaining a 4.5 grade-point average this year. Her cumulative GPA is 4.1.

“I have three AP (advanced placement) classes: AP Psychology, AP Literature and AP Calculus,” Hikiji said. “It’s not fun, but it’s interesting. My parents always say, ‘You’re doing better than I did in high school.’ They always stress how education is more important than wrestling,”

Hikiji is an only child.

“I like being an only child getting all the attention, but I wish I had siblings ‘cause it seems fun. If I had a sibling my size, I could use them for wrestling,” she said.

Mom has known for some time that this child would be busy.

“From the time she was in my stomach, she was always moving around. We knew we had to put her in something. I played softball and I swam on Maui, so we know the importance of athletics and how it can mold kids, and have them focus on something,” she said. “When Erin was young, she had so much energy climbing on things. She couldn’t sit still.”

So Erin, an only child, began in judo.

“We wanted her to be respectful. Tats always had her doing things, physical kind of stuff. Push-ups and making a game out of it,” Candice Hikiji said. “He was really instrumental in developing her athletic ability. I think it comes more from him.”

Tatsuhiko Hikiji, who was the state champion at 95 pounds for two years, then at 112 as a senior, sees much of himself in his daughter.

“Her size, her work ethic, and love of what she is doing. I’m very happy and proud of her,” he said.

The surprise has been Erin’s ability to analyze quickly on the fly.

“Her patience and her ability to think through in preparation and on the mat,” he said.

Their journey as a family has been unique. Any challenges have been a chance to succeed as a team.

“After his stroke, the support that we have received from so many people has been tremendous,” Candice Hikiji said. “Erin has been really lucky to be surrounded by very good people that have always been willing to help her.”

Erin Hikiji is a scholar and a supreme athlete. She is also a an appreciative daughter.

“My mom is a very hard-working individual, balancing work and taking care of me and my dad. My dad, prior to his stroke, was also very hard-working and selfless, always willing to help someone in need, whether it was with wrestling or personal issues,” she said. “My parents have taught me to never give up and to always try my best, especially on the mat. They continue to inspire me in my daily life.”

ERIN HIKIJI’S FAVORITES

>> Favorite athletes: Wresters Yui Susaki, Helen Maroulis. “Yui is short, so it’s just seeing someone kind of like me wrestling in the Olympics, and she won.”

>> Favorite class: Art. “At my school, we have drawing and painting, so I’ve taken it every year. I like drawing portraits.”

>> Favorite food: Sushi (Ninja Sushi in Mililani), pasta and donuts. “I like spaghetti. My mom makes it with meat sauce. I really like Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I like Zippy’s (chocolate) donuts, too.”

>> Favorite music artists: Joji, Clairo, Rex Orange County

>> Favorite teacher: Mr. (Steven) Schiek. “He was my ninth grade honors English teacher.”

>> Funniest teammate: Jacinta Fonoti. “She just always cracks me up.”

>> Teammate most likely to coach one day: Tristan Nitta. “We do these mock drills and she’s really experienced. She’s been around wrestling a long time. She’s a real good example.”

>> New life skill: Driving

>> Bucket list: Japan and Europe