Erica Chong wouldn't classify herself as an overachiever.

"I definitely like to achieve goals I set, and the things I'm interested in, I commit to them," she said.

But included in the Long Island senior's resume is a stint playing the saxophone at Carnegie Hall, and serving as the class valedictorian at Hilo High in 2003 after finishing first academically in her class all four years in high school.

Chong is also a rare Division I athlete who was a part of conference championships in three different sports: golf, soccer and volleyball.

"I will be more thankful than anything else when this is all over," she said.

Chong earned all-conference golf honors for the third time in four years this past weekend, finishing in a tie for fourth place after shooting 84-83-78—245 at the Northeast Conference Championships.

Off-season surgery cut into her training time, and she's "not satisfied with my scores, but I'm not going to cry about it," she said. "I'm not going to leave my senior year disappointed with athletics."

Chong was a sophomore when the Blackbirds won the NEC in 2005.

Chong was recruited out of high school for soccer, but golf coaches also showed interest, so she decided to play for both teams.

"Playing two sports wasn't too bad," Chong said. "It came kind of naturally because of high school where I did so many things.

"In college, what made it do-able was the coaches and teammates I'm with. If I didn't enjoy it so much, I couldn't have done it."

As a member of the soccer team, Chong played in 19 of 22 matches, with one assist, this season. She was also named to the NEC Fall Academic Honor Roll for soccer. For her career, Chong scored two goals with two assists.

The Blackbirds soccer team won its first conference championship last season and earned an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.

Chong broke her finger in the regular-season home finale but was able to play in the conference tournament to help her team earn the NCAA tournament bid.

She later had surgery to insert two pins in her left index finger to fix a spiral fracture.

Soccer and volleyball are both fall sports, so Chong practiced with volleyball in the morning and soccer in the afternoon. She didn't travel with the volleyball team until the NCAA tournament, but "for me to even be able to practice with them and sit on their bench, it meant a lot to me."

In limited time with the volleyball team, she played in two games. The team won its third straight conference championship last season.

"With volleyball, I picked up last fall," Chong said. "I just kind of went with it, because I enjoyed it so much but hadn't played it since high school."

Chong planned to remain with the volleyball for the upcoming season, but time commitments with her major, respiratory therapy, won't allow her to.

While the past four years prepared her for a packed schedule, "it's a lot harder than I thought it would be," she said. "Even now, I'm still struggling with time. I make a to-do list every day so I don't forget."

Even now, a year-end senior athletic luncheon and athletic banquet interfere with studying for finals. Chong graduates in May 2008.

She is making the most of her time in New York, where she loves the snow but took a while to adjust to the food. Chong visited New York as a sophomore in high school when she went to Carnegie Hall to play the saxophone.

"I don't own a saxophone," said Chong, who doesn't play anymore. "If I did, I don't know when I would have time. I think I could play some notes, but I don't think I could play a song.

"When I came (to New York to visit Carnegie Hall), I didn't know I would be back, so I bought tons of souvenirs. I had all kinds of New York souvenirs that I can't believe now."

Note: Chong's younger sister Katrina is a forward for Loyola Marymount's women's soccer team.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.