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If not for a well-informed teammate, UIC women’s soccer player Yulexi Diaz might not have known she did something unprecedented this season.
Diaz, a Solorio graduate, is the first three-time all-conference player in program history.
“I didn’t know,” Diaz said. “I had to read the article that one of my teammates showed me on the bus. She told me I had made history. That’s very cool.
“I wasn’t paying attention to how many awards I got. … I’ve never been anyone to get those awards and to be born and raised on the South Side, it means a lot.”
Diaz, a resident of Chicago’s West Lawn neighborhood, earned her degree from UIC in mathematics and computer science in December.
A midfielder for UIC, Diaz appeared in 71 matches over her career, making 68 starts. She finished with one goal and one assist for the Flames, with her goal serving as the game-winner in a 3-0 victory over Marquette on Aug. 31, 2023.
“I want to set the standard for girls and set the path for my sisters and I’m pretty amazed with what’s happened,” Diaz said. “This is pretty cool because my sisters play soccer as well.
“I see this as (aligning) with my life and career goals of being a pro soccer player and to let people know that everything is possible. Even though I’m from the South Side, doors are open for you. Girls can see that I went to UIC and played soccer and they can say, ‘I want to go there, too.’”
In her final season at UIC, Diaz helped the Flames finish 8-10-2 overall and 6-2-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Diaz said what she’ll remember the most about her college soccer experience are her teammates.
“They’re all very different,” Diaz said. “I focused on my individual talent my first few years. But my last years, I made friendships and became close to my teammates. It was bittersweet because I’ll miss them.
“As a captain, it was critical for me to understand every player individually. That’s something I’ll never forget. Looking back, this was something to help me grow and work on my communication skills. Being a captain made me a more vocal person.
“When I was vocal and pushing my teammates to max efforts, our training sessions were better. My energy brushed off on my teammates.”
— Indiana redshirt senior defensive tackle CJ West, a Nazareth graduate, was chosen to the All-Big Ten Honorable Mention Team by the coaches and media.
West had 40 tackles in 13 games for the Hoosiers, who were one of college football’s feel-good stories, finishing 11-2 and making the 12-team playoff field.
West added 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one pass breakup, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
The post College notes: Solorio’s Yulexi Diaz makes history for UIC appeared first on Southwest Regional Publishing.
