Maka Unufe

Maka Unufe
Place of birth Provo, Utah
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight 193 lb (88 kg)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Center
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011 Utah Warriors ()
National team(s)
Years Team Comps
2011– United States 14 (105; 21t)
Correct as of 2 September 2015

Maka Unufe is an American rugby union player who plays for the United States national rugby sevens team.[1] Unufe is from Provo, Utah, United States.[2]

Unufe previously played American football as a wide receiver at Provo High School. Unufe starred for the Utah Warriors at the Club 7s Nationals in August 2011, earning a nomination to the All-Tournament team.[3] He was then selected to play at the National All-Star Championships.[4]

National team

Although only 19 years old at the time, Unufe made his international debut with the United States national team in the 2011 Pan American games against Chile in October 2011, scoring a try in his first game. He was the team's top try scorer at the Pan Am games with 5 tries, helping the U.S. national team win a Bronze medal.[5] Following the tournament, U.S. national team head coach Al Caravelli described Unufe as "phenomenal" and "a star in the making."[6] In recognition of Unufe's rapid rise, Rugby Mag named Unufe the 2011 Men's Breakout Player of the Year,[5] and This Is American Rugby named Unufe the 2011 Youth Player of the Year.[4]

Unufe made his Sevens World Series debut at the 2012 Wellington Sevens.[7]

Unufe was named to World Rugby's Dream Team for the 2015 Wellington Sevens tournament, due to his "strong defensive plays and hard runs."[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Maka Unufe - Men's Sevens". USA Rugby. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  2. ↑ Donaldson, Amy (August 9, 2016). "Provo native Maka Unufe went from high school dropout to Olympian inspired by his family". Deseret News. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  3. ↑
  4. 1 2 "TIAR Awards: Youth Player of the Year, Maka Unufe". This Is American Rugby. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  5. 1 2
  6. ↑
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ "Eagles Learn Vegas Draw, Unufe Makes Dream Team". This Is American Rugby. 2015-02-07. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
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