Fast-rising USA-based female basketball sensation, Akpevwe Akpoigbe has reeled out words of thanks to her coaches at Tufts University for helping her hit the right rhythm less than a year after joining the institution, Sports247 reports.
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The Nigerian-born Division III volleyball player, whose journey with Tufts began just last July, is already a Team IMPACT fellow, which she said was boosted by the coaches who taught her to blend sports with academics and social life.
Akpoigbe confessed that she never realised the opportunities that being a Division III student-athlete provided until she became one, which made her pour an avalanche of prais on the coaches for helping her settle down pretty fast at the institution in Boston.
Thw amiable lass further pointed out she has learnt that being a college athlete means you always have to find a way of balancing sports with academics, which she has been able to achieve to a large extent, also through support from the university’s crew.
The emergent volleyball diadem took her mind back to how it was when she set out to find a small school with high academics levels and, the moment she met The Tufts’ volleyball coaches, she instantly loved their enthusiasm and energy.
Akpoigbe recalls, “I remember when I came for a tour in July and felt that the campus was a place where I could grow and challenge myself in a comfortable environment. The coaches also made my recruiting process a breeze.
“(They) were patient and resourceful with all my questions and requests. In the end, I saw Tufts as a place I could call my home. I feel like academics connect me with people. I can understand how people think and why people do things.
“During the recruiting process, it was volleyball-focused. I didn’t realise I’d have the opportunity to do so many other things. Everyone says it’s really the perfect balance with academics and athletics but also having a life outside of athletics.”
Sports247 learnt further that the pre-med student, with a major in cognitive science and minor in psychology, won the New England Small College Athletic Conference trophy as a junior and continues making an impact in the Boston community.
