There was no boys swimming team at Lahainaluna High when Jack Pope was a freshman there four years ago.

That didn't stop him from winning six state championships over the course of his high school career for the Lunas.

It is that kind of determination that helped earn Pope the inaugural Duke Kahanamoku Ambassador of Aloha Scholarship. He received the award at a luncheon yesterday at the Outrigger Canoe Club.

"It's an overwhelming honor to be a part of Duke's legacy and be named an ambassador of aloha like he was," said Pope, 18. "I'm going to do my best to live up to it."

Pope graduated from Lahainaluna last month, and will attend the University of the Pacific starting in August.

The scholarship is worth $10,000 per year, and is renewable for up to five years so Pope can complete his undergraduate degree. He said he plans to major in secondary education with future plans of becoming a teacher and coach.

"My first year of high school, there was no swim team, so I was the only boy," he said. "But I convinced some of my friends to come out. I just tried to do whatever I could to help the program."

Pope received a partial athletic scholarship from Pacific to join its swimming team, so he said the Duke Kahanamoku scholarship will be a much-needed boost for his education.

"It's really going to help cover some of the expenses," he said. "It's almost like I have a full scholarship now."

Pope was a three-time state champion in both the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events for Lahainaluna. He is also a swimmer/coach for the Lahaina Swim Club.

"So many people have supported me back home to help me get to this point, and to get that kind of support from a small community is really inspiring me to try my best at Pacific and one day give back to the community," he said.

His $10,000 scholarship was part of a record $204,000 in scholarships and grants awarded this year by the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation. Last year, ODKF awarded $145,000.

More than 100 athletes and non-profit organizations from around the state received a scholarship or grant from ODKF. Awards went to participants of "Duke sports" such as swimming, surfing, paddling, water polo and volleyball.

Pure Light Racing — a team of physically challenged paddlers — received $7,500 to compete in the IVF World Sprints next month in Sacramento, Calif.