Nigerian Cousins Living Their Dreams at Nebraska

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Nebraska’s fourth annual Sportsmanship 4 Life Pep Rally had the perfect lead-off act last Friday for 3,000 students from more than 50 area middle schools. Husker redshirt freshman defensive end Freedom Akinmoladun and Nebraska senior hurdler Dapo Akinmoladun kicked off the event and were classic examples of Nebraska’s dream big, work hard, positive attitude culture that seemed to weave itself together thematically for 90 fast-moving minutes.

First cousins and both graduates of Grandview (Mo.) High School, Freedom and “Dapo” extolled the virtues of competing at a University that meets their lifetime goals and combined needs. “From a very early age, Freedom and I were taught to excel academically,” Dapo said. “Education for us is a family affair. Every one of us has gone on to get a bachelor’s degree, a master’s and a doctorate degree.”

First-year head coach Mike Riley shared his thoughts about dreaming and experiencing a special place like Nebraska.

Both Husker student-athletes have parents who were American immigrants from Nigeria. “They came here to give us the opportunity that they didn’t have, including a great education,” said Dapo, a Big Ten  champion, first-team All-American and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar who has his sights set on attending the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dapo and Freedom told the middle schoolers and teachers that education gave them the opportunity to escape from poverty, travel to new places and pave the way to achieve their dreams.

“Freedom and I came from backgrounds where we didn’t have a lot,” Dapo said. “I didn’t have much and Freedom had even less. My parents and his parents could not afford to send us to college, so we both knew we had to be the best that we could be to earn a scholarship and go on to achieve the dreams we had. Even though we’re both athletes, the reason why we’re here at Nebraska is we did very well in school. In fact, the majority of my scholarship is academics.”

Cook: Nebraska Volleyball Program Proof of Positive-Minded Goal Setting

Sixteen seasons, two national championships, five NCAA Final Fours, 10 conference titles. Keith Zimmer, the pep rally event emcee and Nebraska’s senior associate athletic director for Life Skills, mentioned all of those accomplishments when he introduced John Cook. Nebraska’s longtime head volleyball coach talked about the importance of setting a goal, writing it down and keeping it visible while you strive to achieve it. To drive that message home, Cook wore a black tee shirt with an outline of Nebraska and two words: Destination Omaha, the host city for the 2015 NCAA Volleyball Championship next month.

To inspire the middle school students, Cook pointed out that Nebraska has won three overall national championships and many of the players who helped the Huskers achieve that milestone began dreaming about playing for the Huskers at their age. A native of San Diego, Cook asked a compelling question: How can a whole state become national champions when they have more than a million fewer people than his hometown?

"The answer is we have good kids who work hard, dream big and they’re not afraid to set goals," Cook said, pointing out that all three national championship teams in Nebraska volleyball history ended their title journey with a point scored by a Nebraska girl. Christy Johnson and Allison Weston double-blocked Texas to finish the 1995 national championship team. All-American and Academic All-American Laura (Pilakowski) Buttermore made the final kill against Wisconsin to help Nebraska in the NCAA title in 2000. Six years later, Jordan Larson made the final kill to help the Huskers beat Stanford in the NCAA Championship match in Omaha.

Junior Kadie Rolfzen Designed Nebraska's Destination Omaha Shirts

“Three national champions and the last point all scored by Nebraska girls,” Cook said. “Keep that in mind when you think about setting goals. I’m wearing this shirt today because we’re hosting the Final Four in Omaha next month. Kadie Rolfzen, a junior on our team and another native of Nebraska, is a graphic design major. She designed this shirt. Our destination is to get to the Final Four in Omaha. Our goal every day is to get better. It’s everyone’s dream to get there. You cannot get distracted. You have to set a goal, share it and keep working on it every day.”

Nebraska setter Kelly Hunter and outside hitter Alicia Ostrander (pictured above) followed their head coach’s speech and emphasized the importance of patience, hard work and humility. Hunter spent 12 weeks of her freshmen season in a walking boot, requiring rehab and the reality of a redshirt season that enabled her to succeed. "If you're willing to be patient and work hard every single day, your time will come," Hunter said. Ostrander, a native of Gordon, Neb., will also play basketball for Nebraska after her senior season of volleyball. "At this level, you have to be willing to learn and focus on what's going to help you and the team," she said.

Softball student-athletes Mattie Fowler and Kiki Stokes (far right) have some fun with a volunteer middle-schooler.

Connecting Attendees with Role Model Coaches, Student-Athlete Leaders

The purpose of the rally is to connect all attendees with role-model coaches and student-athletes who share important life messages about sportsmanship, education, decision-making and positive values. The event, a collaboration between Nebraska Athletics and the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame Foundation (NHSSHOFF), headquartered at 500 Charleston Street.

Husker softball players Mattie Fowler and Kiki Stokes focused on three words that are essential for their success on and off the field – attitude, effort and action. Former Husker Ashley Ford, beginning her first year as a Nebraska women’s assistant basketball coach after spending the previous five years coaching at San Diego, concentrated on believing in yourself so you can answer this important question: Why not you?

Sharing Lessons about Sportsmanship, Education, Decisions and Values

The purpose of the rally is to connect all attendees with role-model coaches and student-athletes who share important life messages about sportsmanship, education, decision-making and positive values. The event, a collaboration between Nebraska Athletics and the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame Foundation (NHSSHOFF), headquartered at 500 Charleston Street.

Husker softball players Mattie Fowler and Kiki Stokes focused on three words that are essential for their success on and off the field – attitude, effort and action. Former Husker Ashley Ford, beginning her first year as a Nebraska women’s assistant basketball coach after spending the previous five years coaching at San Diego, concentrated on believing in yourself so you can answer this important question: Why not you?

Sports Parallel Life; Huskers Describe Stepping Out of Their Comfort Zone

Junior punter Sam Foltz (above left) and sophomore All-America returner/receiver De'Mornay Pierson-El (above right) combined their presentation to demonstrate how sports parallel life in putting a premium on teamwork. Junior linebacker Josh Banderas and first-team All-America women’s gymnast Hollie Blanske capped the upbeat program and explained why it’s important to step out of your comfort zone to experience something different without filters. Banderas and Blanske were among 18 Husker student-athletes who took a 7-day trip last May to Guatemala. Zimmer said the 2016 student-athlete trip abroad will be to the Dominican Republic.

Shawn Eichorst: You Can Be Anything You Put Your Mind to Be

Nebraska Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst set the tone for the 90-minute program. "We do great things here every single day with our wonderful student-athletes," he said. "They were in the same seat you were in back in the day. You can be anything you put your mind to be and don’t let anyone tell you differently. Every single minute of the day is an opportunity to learn. Learning is stretching our minds and our imaginations by the most important things we can do day in and day out. Take full advantage of the opportunity today to look, learn and listen to the very, very best and if you do that, I want you to think about the core values we have here at the University of Nebraska Athletic Department: integrity, trust, respect, teamwork and loyalty. They are the values that guide us every day."

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