Alumni Spotlight – Victor Salinas Furio
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Victor Salinas Furio, an influential and pivotal name in recent years for UDC Athletics. Furio, a Men's Soccer alum and East Coast Conference Honor's recipient along with numerous All-Academic Awards including the iconic Arthur Ashe Jr. Sport Scholar Award in 2018 was a prominent figure from 2015-2018 academically and athletically at the University of the District of Columbia.
The Spanish native, arrived in the capital city in August 2015, after impressing Men's Soccer Head Coach Matthew Thompson and Assistant Coach Daniel Wadeson during their recruiting efforts. His athletic ability certainly stood out, and in addition to his soccer, Furio was also bringing to UDC his strong academic skills. An Architecture transfer with a level of maturity to excel in both studies and on the field, throughout his time at UDC his two priorities were his excellence in Architecture and his passion for the game of soccer.
Furio possessed leadership to demonstrate and his willingness to learn and succeed made him a role-model in the team and a role-model for any Student-Athlete looking to flourish in the United States. Senior Associate of Athletics for Compliance, Mr. Joseph Lang said, "He is one of the most impressive young men I have met in my over 50 year career in Intercollegiate Athletics."
The achievements garnered in his time at UDC was certainly not by luck. His character allowed him to earn a BS in Architecture while achieving a Grade Point Average of 4.0 in December 2016. He then continued his education to earn a Master of Architecture with a grade point average of 3.947 in December 2017 along with receiving Dean's List Honors in all five semesters. Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at UDC, Ms. Patricia Thomas stated, "he emerged as an outstanding student and leader on and off the soccer pitch. Highly respected by students, faculty and staff, Victor demonstrated character qualities of integrity, dependability, compassion and loyalty."
Furthermore, Furio was named to the All-District Academic First Team in both 2016 and 2017, the East Coast Conference Commissioners Honor Roll in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and the first male Student-Athlete at UDC to become Academic All-American First Team in 2017. His persistence saw him named East Coast Conference Elite 18 Honoree as the Men's Soccer Student-Athlete with the highest grade point average of all conference Student-Athletes participating in the conference tournament.
Athletically, Furio earned All-East Coast Conference Honors for the 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons. Also, leading the Firebirds into the NCAA National Tournament Second Round for the first time in program history. The most remarkable award Furio received was the 2018 All-American for the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award. This award is considered amongst all Student-Athletes within the NCAA and is truly a prestigious national award recognized.
Upon graduation, Furio has remained active in the world of youth sport and his love for learning has led him to being a huge impact on soccer in the United States.
Victor Salinas Furio's time at The University of the District of Columbia is an outstanding story of a Student-Athlete who embraced life academically and athletically. He represented UDC with leadership and maturity and has become a vital part of UDC Athletics legacy.