Miyoshi Named ITA Midwest Region Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award Recipient
June 10, 2026 | Men's Tennis
NEWS
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Kenta Miyoshi was named the Midwest Region's honoree for the ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced.
The Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award is presented annually to student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular, and tennis achievements.
Miyoshi is the fifth student-athlete in program history to earn the honor, joining an exclusive list that features Phil Stolt (2004), Abe Souza (2011), Tim Kopinski (2015), and Aron Hiltzik (2018).
Competing for the Fighting Illini all four years of his collegiate career, Miyoshi amassed 100 singles wins and 53 doubles victories during his time in Champaign-Urbana. The 2025 Big Ten Player of the Year and a three-time All-Big Ten honoree, Miyoshi was a unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selection following his junior and senior campaigns.
Adding to his already impressive legacy at Illinois, Miyoshi is also a two-time ITA Singles All-American and was named the ITA National and Midwest Region Player to Watch ahead of the 2025-26 season.
He marked his final collegiate campaign in 2026 with a 26-11 singles record and a 12-9 doubles mark while going 6-1 on the singles courts during conference play. He concluded his Big Ten career with an impressive 22-4 singles tally.
Also recognized for his hard work in the classroom, Miyoshi received CSC Academic All-America honors in 2025 and 2026, becoming the first student-athlete in program history to secure Academic All-America First Team status in 2025.
Miyoshi is now a finalist for the ITA National Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award, with all national award winners set to be announced on Tuesday, June 16. The other finalists include Karim Al-Amin (Middle Tennessee), Corey Craig (Florida State), Mans Dahlberg (Virginia), Lucas da Silva (South Carolina), Phillip Deaton (Air Force), Andrew Fang (Binghamton), Petro Kuzmenok (Rice), Nicolas Kotzen (Columbia), Brett Pearson (Washington), Benito Sanchez Martinez (Mississippi State), Emon van Loben Sels (UCLA), and Jakub Vrba (Arkansas).
