UCO Tennis Player Wins Arthur Ashe Award

Karyna Yurchenko, an international Ukrainian student senior player from the University of Central Oklahoma’s tennis team, was named the 2024-25 recipient of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Arthur Ashe Jr.  Leadership and Sportsmanship Award.  

Yurchenko is the first UCO student-athlete to receive this award, which recognizes outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular, and tennis achievements. This distinction is given to 11 honorees across all five divisions (NCAA Divisions I, II, III, NAIA, and JUCO)  at the regional and national level.  

“I’m obviously very honored to receive this award, especially since it highlights not only your performance on the court but also activities outside of it. However, everything I’ve ever done has never had a purpose of winning the award or being recognized; it always came from my heart to give back to people  and the community.” Yurchenko said.  

She continued, “I wanted to be in UCO history for my tennis accomplishments, but I think this award weighs way more than just the number of wins on the court, and I hope that my story will inspire young  athletes to strive for sportsmanship and leadership no matter what their background.”  

As a co-captain of the UCO women’s tennis team, she led the team to win a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Conference  Championship and a spot in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship during the 2024-25 season. Yurchenko also serves as a part of the executive committee on UCO’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).  

The Ukrainian player continues to give back to her community, even while living in Edmond. She helps by donating monthly to charities in her country.

She does so by assisting children in fulfilling their dreams of coming to the United States by securing athletic and academic scholarships here.

In addition to these efforts, she has also helped organize tennis tournaments to support young athletes back in Kyiv.

These events provide children with the opportunity to improve their Universal Tennis Ratings (UTR), especially for those who may not have the means to travel internationally.  

This past Christmas, she also launched an initiative called “Secret Santa” to help children affected by the war experience the joy of the holidays by matching them with sponsors who could fulfill their Christmas wishes. 

“What began as a way to quiet that guilt has grown into something much deeper. Now it feels like part of who I am. Taking initiative isn’t just about duty anymore — it’s about living out the values I want to stand for”.  

Yurchenko is set to graduate soon, and after graduation, she hopes to launch larger-scale initiatives to help her Country.  

For now, Yurchenko’s message to young athletes is, “Life can be brutal. Sometimes it will feel unbearably hard. Sometimes it will be deeply unfair. But the  only way to make it through moments like that is to stay true to yourself and stand firm in your values.”