LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – Former UNLV football star linebacker
Austin Ajiake has become only the second Rebel from any sport to be named Mountain West Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the league announced Thursday.
Ajiake (AH-g-kay), a native of Fremont, California, closed out his stellar career by leading the conference in tackles last season while also becoming a five-time Academic All-MW honoree and three-time MW Scholar-Athlete.
"Having known
Austin Ajiake for over half a decade, I have witnessed first-hand that he is a person of great character and leadership as a football player, a student and a family man," said UNLV Director of Athletics Erick Harper. "He is a perfect example of the modern collegiate student-athlete and is certainly deserving of this great honor."
Established by the Mountain West Joint Council in 1999, the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is the highest honor presented by the conference. The award is bestowed annually to the man and woman who best exemplify the term student-athlete by achieving excellence in athletics, academics and community involvement. In addition to athletic achievement, recipients of the MW Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award must have a minimum 3.5 cumulative grade point average, demonstrate leadership, and exhibit good character and conduct on and off the playing field. Each honoree will receive a $2,500 postgraduate scholarship.
"I want to thank the Mountain West for this award," said Ajiake. "It's a blessing to be able to represent not only the conference, not only the school but also the community of Las Vegas. I don't take it for granted. I appreciate the fact that my leadership has been recognized and this lets me know what I'm doing is for a purpose and that I'm on the right track in life."
A First Team All-Mountain West selection, Ajiake finished fifth in the nation with 132 total tackles, a number that tied him for fourth in UNLV single-season history. He became the first Rebel linebacker to be named first team all-league since 2016. The September 26 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week also added 11 tackles-for-loss, four quarterback sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
In May, the graduate of Bellarmine Prep, was named UNLV's Mehdi Bouras Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He earned his bachelor's degree in urban studies in May 2022 and is pursuing a master's in urban leadership. A seven-time member of the UNLV Dean's Honor List, he was one of three Rebels voted to the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. Last fall, Ajiake was also named UNLV's nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy as his list of community service included participating in the department's Bed Build Day, a unique effort that saw more than 100 beds built by volunteers in conjunction with Sleep in Heavenly Peace to benefit local youth in need.
Following his final season, Ajiake appeared in the Hula Bowl in Orlando, Florida, and became the fourth Rebel linebacker ever invited to appear in the prestigious East-West Shrine Bowl held at his home facility, Allegiant Stadium, in January. He was the first former Rebel to be selected to play in more than one postseason all-star game since running back Dominique Dorsey in 2004.
This year's female winner was Wyoming's record-setting cross country runner
Katelyn Mitchem. Former UNLV offensive lineman
John Greer was the Rebels' other male winner of the award in 2001 while two former Rebel greats – golfer
Therese Koelbaek (2010) and tennis player
Katarina Malec (2000) -- were the school's Mountain West Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year winners.
-UNLV-
