Fairfax, Va. - On Monday, The EDU Ledger magazine announced the 2026 Arthur Ashe Jr. semifinalists for Male and Female Athlete of the Year.

The publication will release its annual Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars special report edition on June 4, 2006. The edition is part of our decades-long tradition of recognizing outstanding young men and women who have distinguished themselves in their academic, athletic, and civic pursuits.

St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Tennis student-athlete Henry Ronnberg has been chosen as one of eight semifinalists (4 male, 4 female) for this prestigious honor based on his work on the court, in the classroom and in the community.

The Top 4 men (in alphabetical order) are: 

• Chukwuebuka Ejiofor, St. John’s, Basketball

• Quintin Lowe, Purdue University, Track/Cross Country

• Henry Ronnberg, St. Thomas Aquinas College, Tennis

• Isaiah Shirley, NC State University, Football

 The Top 4 women in (alphabetical order) are: 

• Winnie Chiang, University of Cincinnati, Golf

• Caroline Fredenburg, Auburn University, Equestrian

• Tyrah Weems, Morgan State University, Volleyball

• Alice Yu, Johns Hopkins, Volleyball

As the name denotes, the annual Ashe edition is part of our over a quarter-century legacy of recognizing outstanding, young men and women who have distinguished themselves in their academic, athletic, and civic pursuits.

Students named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must maintain at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average, be at least a sophomore academically, and participate in community service. With over 900 scholar-athletes nominated, one male and one female athlete will be selected as Sports Scholar of the Year.

Last year’s overall winners were Jaida Ross from the University of Oregon and Jayo Adegboyo from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Other past Arthur Ashe Scholars have included the University of Wisconsin’s Russell Wilson (2011), the University of Tennessee’s Kara Lawson (2003), San Diego State University’s Marshall Faulk (1993), and Stanford University’s Simone Manuel (2017), to name a few who have gone on to achieve great success.