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From the start of her recruiting process, Elizabeth Tkachenko’s coach at One Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Florida to her he thought the University of Pennsylvania would be a great fit.

Jeff Puhan knew UPenn head coach Sanela Kunovac and put the two in touch. Tkachenko and Kunovac built a great relationship through their conversations, and Tkachenko eventually made a visit to the Ivy League campus in Philadelphia.

Elizabeth Tkachenko Has Committed to UPenn
© Contributed Photo

“I just loved the team and felt like the coach really cares about each individual player’s needs and she has played herself,” Tkachenko said. “It is a great balance between academics and athletics, which I have been looking for since I started high school.”

The five-star senior committed to play for the Quakers. Tkachenko is undecided on a major and will be in UPenn’s College of Arts and Sciences.

“Academics has always been a big thing for me and my family,” Tkachenko said. “Tennis has always definitely played an integral part in my life, but I never thought that I could just drop academics because you never know what can happen in life, whether it’s injuries or if you can’t play the sport again. You always need a good backup and just to be a well-rounded person.”