Super Bowl time for Iupati
Two years removed from being the 17th pick of the 2010 NFL Draft, Idaho alumnus Mike Iupati will make his first Super Bowl appearance with the San Francisco 49ers Feb. 3. Iupati, who has been starting on the Niners’ offensive line since his freshman season, has also been heralded as one of the league’s best offensive guards. Iupati was named to the 2012 Associated Press All-Pro team and has the most votes among offensive guards for the 2013 Pro Bowl. Originally set to start in professional football’s all-star game, Iupati and the Niners’ six other Pro Bowl starters were forced to withdraw from the game due to Super Bowl commitments. At Idaho, Iupati was named one of three finalists for the Outland Trophy and was a 2009 consensus All-American. He was a team captain during Idaho’s 2009-2010 Humanitarian Bowl season.
Akbar earns WAC honor
Idaho tennis player Abid Akbar was selected as the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week after a solid opening to the spring season. The senior opened the season with a pair of wins at No. 1 singles and doubles on Sunday to earn the honor. His singles victory came 6-1, 6-4 over Eastern Washington’s Joseph Cohen while he teamed up with Marius Cirstea to beat Cohen and Eduardo Martinez 8-6 at No. 1 doubles. The Vandals beat the Eagles 7-0 to win the 2013 opener.
During the fall season, Akbar won WAC Player of the Month honors for September and November.
67-yard man Rehkow commits to Idaho
Austin Rehkow, a kicker out of Central Valley High School in Spokane, capped off a memorable senior season with a verbal commitment to Idaho. Rehkow made national headlines during his senior season at Central Valley when the Bears called upon the golden boot of their kicker. From 67 yards out, Rehkow split the uprights and sent a game against Shadle Park (Spokane) into overtime. The kick was reportedly the third-longest in high school history and its video has more than two million views on YouTube. According to ESPN Recruiting Nation, Rehkow also had interest from Eastern Washington, Washington State and BYU. Scout.com reported Rehkow also received interest from Oregon and Montana.