July 13, 2001
University of Kentucky women’s tennis junior Carolina Mayorga has been named the recipient of the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award presented by Tennis Magazine and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. This prestigious award honors Ashe and his vision of the importance of education, sportsmanship and leadership in collegiate tennis.
A native of Bogota, Colombia, Mayorga has spent the past three years at UK devoting time and energy to several community service projects. She has worked extensively to donate clothing and food to homeless shelters in the Lexington area, as well as devoting time to visiting the Ronald McDonald House and area homeless shelters.
“I believe that in order to receive, I first have to give,” Mayorga said. “It’s like a cycle. I believe that by serving the community, I am helping myself be a better person by learning from others.”
Mayorga earned All-America status in May after advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championships with partner Sarah Witten. The pair, which played No. 2 doubles for most of the 2001 season, was picked as the first alternates for the tournament en route to their semifinal match.
“Carolina is a very deserving recipient of this award,” Coach Mark Guilbeau said. “This award directly reflects the quality of person that Carolina is, both on and off the court. She always displays the highest level of character, class and caring in everything she does.”Mayorga’s success can be seen off the court as well. While still mastering the English language, she has managed to hold a 3.6 cumulative GPA in her time at UK and also was named to the Dean’s List for the past two years. Mayorga was named to the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll in both her sophomore and junior seasons and was inducted into UK’s Society of Character this spring.
“This is a tremendous honor for me,” Mayorga said. “While the award means so much to me, it wouldn’t be possible without the support of my teammates and coaching staff. The environment at UK has been so beneficial to me as a person and an athlete.”Mayorga was named the Southeast Region winner for the award in May, and was chosen over five other regional winners to receive the honor.
