TEMPE, Ariz. – Kansas Wesleyan’s Shingi Chingaya has been named as the ITA NAIA Men’s Tennis Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award winner for the 2021 season. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association made the announcement on its website, wearecollegetennis.com.
“In my four years of getting to know Shingi Chingaya, this young man has blossomed into not only a great person and great leader but a great friend,” Kansas Wesleyan head tennis coach Josh Molino said. “He is trustworthy, he is kind, he is the light of the room; he is the son I don’t have yet. He is the face of the generation that will lead us into a society where we are all viewed equally.
“We are so lucky to have had Shingi as part of our program and university. He has made an impact on me as a person and coach, our administration and the local community.”
Shingi has been an exemplary leader on and off the court, excelling throughout his four-year playing career with a cumulative GPA of 3.4 in the nursing program.
In addition to his responsibilities in the classroom, Chingaya served as the president of the Multicultural Student Union and the Student Nurses Organization.
Shingi will continue to impact the community in a positive way as a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at Salina Regional Health Center.
During the summers, he would often go back to his home state of Texas, teaching tennis to youth and most recently had 28 children attending his summer camps.
While helping create the Black History Month events across campus last February, Shingi stood as the voice for many, highlighting the plight of many African Americans in today’s society.
Shingi embodies the spirit of Arthur Ashe – a true servant leader who practices acts of selflessness for the greater good in hopes of a global, inclusive and transformative society.
“Shingi is the hardest worker in the room, he is the guy who will give you the shirt off his back and take time to help you complete your goals or tasks even when his aren’t finished,” Molino said. “He is the champion of character that we all talk about as coaches.”
The prestigious Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship award, which dates back to 1982, is presented to men’s and women’s student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular, and tennis achievements in ways that embody the legacy of tennis icon and humanitarian Arthur Ashe Jr.
Story courtesy of KWUCoyotes.com.
