« Women’s Soccer 2017

Chidera Akubuilo

School
UNLV
Position
Defender
Major
Kinesiology
Chidera Akubuilo

Classroom

Chidera Akubuilo currently sports a 3.178 GPA.

Character

Akubuilo possesses a natural charisma and leadership ability that draws players to her and makes them want to follow her. She has a very level head and calm demeanor, which makes her a very effective leader in tense situations, such as a closely contested soccer match. She has been a captain of the UNLV women’s soccer team for two years and has done a stellar job in that position.

Community

Akubuilo put in time with the team for the 2016-17 MW Community Service Challenge. Those activities included the following: NV Reading Week every year in Feb. and March to read to classrooms; various soccer clinics; Rainbow Youth Soccer League and Ogden Foundation at Robert Taylor Elementary; refereeing for soccer tournaments at After-School All-Stars; Three Square Food Bank activity at Welcome Back Assembly to pack over 1,500 produce packs of apples and oranges; Miracle League Home Run Derby; and Las Vegas Rotary Club’s Santa Clothes event. Each year, the rotary club takes more than 300 children shopping for winter clothes and then ends the day at the football practice field for a field day. Each sport hosts a sports station for the kids.

Competition

Akubuilo was the 2016 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, the first for UNLV in program history. She was also named to the All-Mountain West First Team and was instrumental in helping the Rebels to one of their best seasons in program history as they won the MW regular season and tournament titles in the same season for the first time and their first NCAA appearance in 10 years. She became the first player in program history to be named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List prior to the 2017 season and has helped the 2017 squad to a 6-1 record through the first seven games, the best through the first seven games in program history.