Oct. 11, 2011

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern senior Oliver Kupe (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) of the men's soccer team and freshman Yewande Akanbi (Houston, Texas/Dawson) of the volleyball team have been named NU's Hilton Garden Inn Athletes of the Week for their performances last week.

Kupe earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors after scoring two key goals to keep the Wildcats go unbeaten in two games last week. Trailing 1-0 against No. 12 Notre Dame Wednesday, Kupe put Northwestern back in the game with a shot from nine yards out that went through the goalkeeper's legs at the 78:50 mark, earning a draw for the 'Cats. Northwestern then took on first-place Ohio State Sunday and Kupe's second goal of the week -- this time off a header -- gave NU a 2-0 lead it would protect for the victory. Kupe leads Northwestern with five goals and 10 points and is now tied for ninth all-time at NU with 19 career goals.

Akanbi led Northwestern with 25 kills in two matches last week, including a career-best 15 on the road against No. 9 Penn State. Akanbi's efforts helped NU push the Nittany Lions to five sets, the first time the 'Cats have won a set at Rec Hall in more than 20 years. Akanbi is second on the team with 134 kills this season.

This week's Community Outreach Athlete of the Week is junior Alicia Gurrieri (Medford, N.J./Moorestown Friends) of the fencing team. Gurrieri played a huge part in getting other fencers to participate in International Walk to School Day. The event is for middle and elementary school children around the world and aims to encourage physical activity and combat childhood obesity.

••••••

Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! and subscribe to the NU Sports Express e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!