Hussain Named Finalist For ITA Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award

TEMPE, Ariz. – East Carolina women's tennis student-athlete Alisha Hussain has been selected one of four finalists for the 2024 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award according to an announcement by the organization Tuesday.

Hussain joins Esther Adeshina (Tennessee), Eryn Cayetano (USC) and Andy Mackler (Denison University) on the award's shortlist.

Now in its seventh year, the ITA Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award, as endowed by Billie Jean King, was created to honor a recent college graduate who played college tennis, demonstrated excellence in all aspects of being a student-athlete, was a leader on his or her team and was an influential contributor on his or her college campus and community.

The recipient of the award will have demonstrated grit (i.e. passion and perseverance towards long-term goals), a commitment to social justice and equality, and will have pushed others to be leaders in addition to demonstrating his or her own leadership.

Entering college, Hussain only hoped to better herself as a tennis player to reach the professional tour and take her family out of poverty. However, the experiences and people she has met while in Greenville have reshaped her thinking and have given her opportunities of which she could only dream.

Now, as a team captain, she serves as the East Carolina Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative for the American Athletic Conference. Hussain also started the International Student-Athlete Committee at ECU, meeting monthly with other international student-athletes to discuss some of the challenges they face and how they can better deal with these issues. She has completed at least 25 hours of community service each semester by serving as a mentor for children, going on hospital visits and volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House.

Hussain and the Pirates finished the 2024 spring dual season at 11-8, the best record for the program since the 2018-19 campaign.

The four 2024 finalists, who have already submitted personal statements as well as letters of support from coaches, teammates, and professors, will now submit a resume and letter from their institution's Chancellor to be reviewed by the ITA Ann Lebedeff Award Selection Panel. Once determined, the winner will be awarded a post-graduate scholarship, while a $1,000 donation will be made to the award winner's college tennis program from the ITA.

Hussain Named Finalist For ITA Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award

Players Mentioned

Alisha Hussain

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