2026 Male Winner: Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s University, Basketball
Runners Up:
Quintin Lowe, Purdue University, Track/Cross Country (1st runner up)
Henry Ronnberg, St. Thomas Aquinas College, Tennis (2nd runner up)
Isaiah Shirley, NC State University, Football (3rd runner up)
2026 Female Winner: Alice Yu, Johns Hopkins University, Volleyball
Runners Up:
Caroline Fredenburg, Auburn University, Equestrian (1st runner up)
Tyrah Weems, Morgan State University, Volleyball (2nd runner up)
Winnie Chiang, University of Cincinnati, Golf (3rd runner up)
As the name denotes, the annual Arthur Ashe edition is part of our magazine’s over a quarter-century legacy of recognizing young, outstanding men and women who have distinguished themselves in their academic and athletic pursuits.
Student-athletes named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5, be at least a sophomore academically, and participate in community service. In addition to this year’s finalists, Top Conferences and Institutions will also be recognized.
Of the over 900 students nominated, The EDU Ledger has named Ejiofor and Yu the 2026 Arthur Ashe Jr. Male and Female Sports Scholar of the Year for best exemplifying the standards of scholarship, athleticism, and humanitarianism.
Zuby Ejiofor, a senior majoring in sports management, is a 6-foot-9 forward basketball player for St. John’s University. In 2025, he was named to the Academic All-America® Team for excellence on the court and in the classroom and was inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. On the court, he was named The BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, and was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team as one of the league's most complete performers. Ejiofor led the team in scoring (16.3 ppg), rebounding (7.5 rpg), assists (3.5 apg), and blocks (2.0 bpg), while ranking second in steals (1.3 spg). He was named NCAA March Madness National Player of the Week (Feb. 9). Off the court he has welcomed local children to campus working with Community Mayors Inc. — an organization that has been providing recreational therapy for children with special needs in the New York metro area for nearly 70 years.
Alice Yu is a senior majoring in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University. She played in 129 out of the 133 matches during her career. She helped the Blue Jays to a four-year record of 112-21 with four Centennial Conference titles, four trips to the NCAA Tournament, one appearance in the NCAA semifinals, two appearances in the NCAA quarterfinals and one run to the NCAA Sweet 16. She totaled 653 career kills and hit .280 in her career. She also has 233 digs and was in 392 blocks (57 solo / 335 assisted) with 128 service aces. Off the court she has worked with Tutors for Hope, a San Diego nonprofit organization, and Joey's Wings Foundation to help raise awareness for pediatric kidney cancer. She has mentored childhood cancer survivors since 2019. Since June 2025, she has volunteered at Gigi's Playhouse, a Down Syndrome Achievement Center. She volunteers in the Adult Emergency Department at Johns Hopkins University Hospital and helps middle school children at the Friends School of Baltimore to develop leadership and teamwork skills.
Both Ejiofor and Yu balance community service and the rigors of top-tier NCAA intercollegiate play with academic achievement at the highest level — they will be profiled in the June 4 edition.
Past 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.
For more than four decades, The EDU Ledger has been dedicated to expanding educational opportunity and advancing the success of students, faculty, staff, and administrators across the higher education landscape. Our editorial mission is to deliver comprehensive, research-informed coverage that goes beyond surface-level storytelling — offering deep analysis rooted in institutional and national data, revealing both the outcomes and the context behind them.
