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Press ReleaseSALT LAKE CITY - The same day he became Utah's first unanimous Consensus All-American, kicker/punter Louie Sakoda received one of the NCAA's top honors. Sakoda was one of eight student-athletes chosen from all divisions of NCAA sports (male and female) as a recipient of an NCAA Today's Top VIII Award.
One of the most prestigious awards the NCAA hands out each year, the Today's Top VIII recognizes student-athletes in their final year of NCAA competition for their success athletically, academically and in the community.
He becomes the third Ute to receive the award, along with gymnasts Missy Marlowe (1993) and Theresa Kulikowski (2004).
The Top VIII winners are selected by the NCAA Honors Committee and recipients will be honored at the NCAA Honors and Delegates Celebration on January 15 at the NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C.
Joining Sakoda as 2009 Today's Top VIII winners are Yael Averbuch, North Carolina, women's soccer; Greg Micheli, Mount Union, football; Kirby Blackley, Findlay, outdoor and indoor track and field; Dylan Carney, Stanford, gymnastics; Kristi Miller, Georgia Tech, tennis; Katy Tafler, Grand Valley State, soccer; and Angela Tincher, Virginia Tech, softball.
Sakoda was selected as the first-team kicker on all five All-America teams that comprise the consensus team: Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Foundation, Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Sporting News. Other Utah Consensus All-Americans were defensive lineman Luther Elliss (1994), offensive lineman Jordan Gross (2002) and defensive back Eric Weddle (2006).
Sakoda is the first unanimous All-American in Mountain West Conference history and the first Utah player to make a major All-America team at two different positions (Sakoda was a first-team FWAA All-America punter in 2007).
(Courtesy University of Utah)
