Melissa ISD Head Tennis Coach, Sasha Shkorupeieva, was awarded the 2023 Brandon Clark Courage Award by the Texas Tennis Coaches Association.
The award, named after Coach Brandon Clark, honors coaches who exhibit courage in facing challenging battles. Clark, who fought valiantly against cancer, received the honor in November 2009, recognizing his courageous battle before his passing later that month.
Coach Shkorupeieva won this award because of the courage she showed last year, her first year as Melissa ISD’s Head Tennis Coach, while her home country of Ukraine was at war. She chose to show courage during a difficult time and led the Melissa High School Tennis Team to the playoffs in the first year as a 5A district.
Coach Shkorupeieva started her career at the University of Arkansas, where she worked as a student assistant coach for the Arkansas Tennis Team while earning her Master’s degree in Sport Management. This is Shkorupeieva’s second year as the Melissa ISD Head Tennis Coach. Shkorupeieva lead the Melissa High School varsity team to become the bi-district champions for the fall of 2023.
The Melissa High School Tennis Teams will continue with their spring season starting January 26 at the Anna Tournament.