NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale University Athletics is proud to announce the recipient of the 2019-20 Amanda D. Walton Award, men's soccer sophomore Enzo Okpoye. This honor is not awarded annually but only when a candidate is truly deserving.
 
The Amanda D. Walton Award is given at the discretion of the Department of Athletics to an outstanding student-athlete (male or female) who has excelled on the field of play and who has shown spirit and courage in transcending unforeseen challenges.
 
Okpoye, a native of Asaba, Nigeria and was discovered by an agency that was looking to help youth soccer players find opportunities with soccer before coming to Yale. Okpoye came from an underprivileged financial background and has only seen his family a few times since he left his home six years ago.
 
Okpoye made the most of his opportunity, working hard to make the standardized testing marks needed to gain access to Yale. Unfortunately, prior to his start in New Haven as a first year, he was diagnosed with malaria.
 
Despite the disease, he went on to have a strong first season which set him up for a sophomore season in which he earned First Team All-Ivy League and Second Team All-Region honors.
 
"Enzo is an incredibly important player and leader for our team. His confidence, leadership and presence are invaluable," said 5K Corral Head Coach of Men's Soccer Kylie Stannard. "To think of Enzo's path to Yale, his success as a student-athlete here, while also dealing with a lot of various adversities, is simply remarkable to me."  
 
In his first two years at Yale (in addition to a bout with malaria), Okpoye fought through injuries and surgeries to his lower body, an eye injury this past season as well as a concussion.
 
Despite numerous hardships which now includes not being able to see his family in Nigeria due to the pandemic, Okpoye has maintained a positive demeanor, winning attitude and championship stature which Walton would surely be proud of.

 
 

About Amanda Walton
In the spring of 2000, Amanda completed her sophomore year at Yale, had been named First-Team All-American in field hockey and First-Team All-Ivy honors in both field hockey and lacrosse. A year prior she was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in both field hockey and lacrosse – making her the second person in Ivy League history to be named Rookie of the Year in both sports.
 
Days after finishing her second year, Amanda's car was struck at 80 mph by a driver fleeing police in Meriden, Connecticut. The Jaws of Life extracted her from her vehicle, and she was heli-lifted to the Intensive Care Unit in Hartford where she lay for the next 90 days in a deep coma. When she finally regained consciousness, Amanda and her doctors faced the task of dealing with her broken bones, internal injuries and the massive trauma suffered to her brain. Amanda suffered from traumatic brain injury (TBI), specifically diffuse axonal injury (DAI). The outcome is often prolonged coma, with over 90 percent of patients with severe DAI never regaining consciousness.
 
Amanda overcame a coma and numerous injuries through hard work and determination, eventually returning to the Yale sideline as an assistant coach. She received the 2002 NCAA Inspiration Award and the 2003 ECAC Valor Award.