Winning championships at any level are hard to come by; we all know that. Texas Wesleyan Table Tennis makes winning championships look extremely easy. TXWES Table Tennis boasts 73 national titles and is one of the most decorated sports teams in the nation.

In the fourth edition of our athletics alumni spotlight series by award-winning writer Rich Mauch, we catch up with Anastasiia Rybka, who contributed to a few of those titles during her short time here. She continued the rich legacy that is the Texas Wesleyan Table Tennis dynasty, and appreciates the impact Texas Wesleyan had on her career. This is, Who We Are: Anastasiia Rybka.
 -- 
By Rick Mauch
 

Ironically, Anastasiia Rybka didn't like table tennis at first.
 
Now, it's an everyday part of her life - literally.
 
The former Texas Wesleyan national champion now coaches table tennis in Los Angeles at Gilbert Table Tennis Center, and has even coached pop star Justin Beiber.
 
"My dad brought me to table tennis because my brother already played. At first, I didn't like it, but then I enjoyed it because it gave me many opportunities in life, including to see the world, to travel, to meet new people, compete, experience all the different emotions during competitions and connecting with teammates. A lot of fun. Best times," Rybka said.
 
Rybka, who is from the Ukraine, attended Texas Wesleyan from January of 2015 to December of 2016 working on her masters degree in education. She competed in a table tennis tournament at Texas Wesleyan while on a summer work program and was offered a scholarship, so she joined arguably the nation's top college table tennis program.
 
The Rams table tennis program is one of the most decorated sports teams in the United States. They entered their 20th year of existence with 73 national championships in different events (co-ed team, women's team, men's doubles, women's doubles, women's singles, men's singles, mixed doubles).
 
As for Rybka her personal highlights included winning a team championship in 2016, a doubles title in 2016, placing second in singles in 2016, second in co-ed in 2015 and third as a team in 2015.
 
And she does continue to play, though coaching takes up a lot of her time these days.
 
"I enjoy teaching people at different levels and helping them improve their game and keep a healthy lifestyle," she said.
 
And though she lives a half a nation away now, she said her memories in her short time at Texas Wesleyan made an impression that will stay with her the rest of her life.
 
"It gave me the opportunity to gain more knowledge and meet new people," she counts. "And of course biggest thanks goes to (table tennis coach) Jasna Rather. Without her I wouldn't have been at Texas Wesleyan."
 
Want more Who We Are? Catch up by clicking the links to our other spotlights below.
Braxton Brown (Football)
Rachel Loftin – Whaley (Volleyball)
Mike Krsnak (Men's Golf)