Anchorage native Edefuan Ulofoshio was front and center alongside Heisman Trophy finalist Michael Penix Jr. for the awards ceremony Monday night after No. 2 Washington held off No. 3 Texas 37-31 at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
His performance on the defensive side of the ball for the Huskies warranted his place in the spotlight and also earned him our Alaska Athlete of the Week honors.
Ulofoshio, of South High fame, registered seven tackles – five solo and two for loss and consistently came up huge for a team playing their biggest game in decades.
The senior defensive captain addressed the team on the field before the fourth quarter in a sign of true leadership, and then made big plays in crunch time. H had four tackles in the red zone, including a 1-yard loss at the 12-yard line late in the fourth quarter when he dragged Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers out of bounds while losing his helmet in an all-heart, all-out effort play.
Ulofoshio has stood tall all season, earning First Team All-Pac-12 honors as well as Third Team All-American recognition. He has 247 career tackles, which ranks third all-time among Alaskans at the Division I level.
Also receiving votes:
- Bryce Monrean – The Anchorage Wolverines forward racked seven points — three goals, four assists — in a two-game road sweep of the Chippewa Steel.
- Alissa Pili – The Anchorage basketball basketball player pumped in 27 points to go with 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot for No. 12 Utah in a 76-65 road loss to o. 8 Colorado.
- Gus Schumacher – The Anchorage skier sits in 10th place at the Tour de Ski after posting his best World Cup Nordic skiing results in recent years. *Note: his 4th place finish Wednesday morning occurred after athlete of week voting.
The Alaska Athlete of the Week is selected by a panel each Monday.
Have a candidate in mind? Email us your nomination: info@alaskasportshall.org.