Tempe, AZ – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (“ITA”) is delighted to share today the four finalists for the prestigious ITA Sally Ride STEM Award as endowed by Tam O’Shaughnessy.
Now in the award’s fifth year, the ITA Sally Ride STEM Award honors one of the biggest icons in American history, Dr. Sally Ride, who was the first woman to soar into space. Combining two of Dr. Ride’s greatest passions in tennis and science, this award has been awarded to some of the most distinguished student-athletes in college athletics.
Being awarded to a female student-athlete who demonstrates zeal, dedication, and perseverance towards her tennis training and competition, STEM studies, and long-term goals, the ITA Sally Ride STEM Award serves as a symbol of the ability of women to shatter barriers both on and off the court.
This year, four finalists were selected after an extensive application process that showcased each applicant’s unique commitment to excellence across all areas of their lives. These four finalists include Alisha Chulani (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps), Ainika Hou (Carnegie Mellon University), Abigail Moss (Georgetown College), and Abigail Williams (College of Wooster).
“Each year, the finalists for the ITA Sally Ride STEM Award are extraordinary,” stated Tam O’Shaughnessy. “There are so many talented women who are passionate about athletics and STEM! It is time they are held up high and honored.”
Previous recipients of the ITA Sally Ride STEM Award include Jessica Lu from MIT (2025), Hannah Kassaie from Case Western Reserve (2024), McKenzie Ferrari from UMass Dartmouth (2023), and Anna Tifrea from the California Institute of Technology (2022).
“The ITA Sally Ride STEM Award represents the very best of what college athletics can inspire—excellence in competition and commitment” said ITA CEO David Mullins. “This year’s finalists embody Dr. Sally Ride’s legacy through their passion for both tennis and STEM, and we are incredibly proud to celebrate their achievements and support their future endeavors”.
Each year, the recipient of the award receives a grant in the amount of eight thousand dollars ($8,000) to pursue her dreams. The award money given to the student-athlete may be used in any way she wishes [e.g., tuition, books, rent, etc.]
Additionally, the ITA will donate two thousand dollars ($2,000) to the women’s tennis program of the institution from which the award winner graduated.
Continue reading below for more information on each of this year’s finalists:
Alisha Chulani | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps | NCAA Division III
As a winner both athletically and academically, Alisha Chulani knew that Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) was the perfect place for her to continue to develop both of her passions of tennis and engineering. Playing the sport from a young age, Chulani never recognized how many lessons would translate from tennis to engineering until reflecting on her time as a student-athlete at CMS. Named an 8-Time ITA All-American throughout her career, Chulani has won two NCAA Team Championships as well as the 2024 ITA National Team Indoor Championship across her career. Behind her grit and determination, Chulani has been named a team captain and employs many team building tactics that benefit her as an engineer as well. Off the court, Chulani is pursuing a degree in Engineering with a concentration in Economics. Currently, Chulani is gaining real-world experience with NVIDIA, the largest engineering company in the world, where she works in hardware infrastructure. Upon graduation, Chulani plans to enroll at Stanford University where she will pursue a graduate degree in Electrical Engineering. Here she hopes to develop low-cost sensor networks and computationally efficient machine learning models that give environmental researchers access to full data pipelines — from field collection to analysis — without requiring expensive hardware or cloud infrastructure.
Ainika Hou | Carnegie Mellon University | NCAA Division III
Whether learning about sacrifice, respect, analytical thinking, perseverance, or responsibility, tennis has always served as a space in which Ainika Hou could learn valuable life lessons. However, the greatest lesson of all that Hou credits to tennis is what it means to be a part of a larger team. At Carnegie Mellon, Hou expanded in her revelation that commitment thrives when it is shared and jumped right into numerous leadership roles both on and off the court. In the fall of 2024, Hou was nominated and selected as one of eight students out of 1,700+ to be part of Carnegie Mellon’s Inaugural Class of Charpie Leadership Institute. Here, she drew on valuable experiences gained through tennis and her life to serve as a voice for the entire student-athlete body. Majoring in Statistics and Math, Hou is aiming to pursue her passion of seeking solutions to unprecedented issues the world is facing today. After completing her graduate studies at Carnegie Mellon, Hou plans to pursue a PhD in Statistics, where she hopes to work on developing rigorous, data‐driven solutions that help shape safer, more accountable AI systems.
Abigail Moss | Georgetown College | NAIA
For Abigail Moss, tennis has always been a space in which she can translate what she is learning in the classroom to real world situations. Whether it is how different nutrients help her body recover better, how different tactics can help her overcome a difficult opponent, or how perseverance is needed for success both on and off the court, Moss has leaned on tennis to be her tangible laboratory. Finishing 3rd in her high school class, Moss takes the same attitude in the classroom as she does on the court by putting every available ounce of effort into whatever she is trying to achieve. As a student, Moss is pursuing a degree in Biochemistry with the desire to put her guiding principles into practice as a physician. Moss has been accepted into the University of Kentucky College of Medicine as well as the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Regardless of where she ends up ultimately, Moss is determined to keep showing up early, staying late, and striving for more, carrying the same discipline she has built through tennis.
Abigail Williams | College of Wooster | NCAA Division III
Wooster’s Abigail Williams has been dealing with adversity having been diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) as a toddler. As a chronic illness, many individuals with JIA face difficulties with basic tasks primarily due to mobility restraints. For Williams though, she has persevered through many difficult moments stemming from JIA, and has even defied all odds by playing collegiate tennis which she credits in helping empower her to overcome these challenges. Coming from a family of devoted tennis enthusiasts, Williams’ passion for the sport was evident from the moment she stepped onto campus and her energy fed into teammates who rallied behind her drive. Off the court, Williams is pursuing a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with the hopes of making a difference for others facing chronic illness. Upon graduation, Williams will be pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania in Cell and Molecular Biology, with a concentration in Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology. This program will help her learn the skills needed for an impactful career in vaccinology.
The ITA is the governing body of college tennis and a coaches association, both an advocate and an authority for the sport and its members. The ITA is committed to serving college tennis and returning the leaders of tomorrow while promoting both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, founded in 1956, is comprised of more than 2,000 men’s and women’s varsity tennis teams representing more than 1,250 institutions, 3,000 college tennis coaches, 1,400 college tennis officials, while administering numerous regional and national championships, and the ITA College Tennis Rankings for 20,000 college varsity student-athletes across five levels of play. The ITA also bolsters an industry-leading awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership, and sportsmanship. Keep up with all of the excitement around college tennis by visiting WeAreCollegeTennis.com and following the ITA on Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
