TOLEDO, Ohio – Yana Khabina is never satisfied.

A hurdler on the University of Toledo women's track & field team, Khabina takes the lessons learned on the track into the classroom.  Her approach to both is the same: you can always run a little faster, you can always study a little harder.

"Track has taught me how to be competitive and how to reach my goals," said Khabina, a graduate student in the College of Business and Innovation. "It has taught me discipline and how to cooperate with teammates and other people. It has taught me how to get through stressful situations."

Associate head track coach Adrian Ghioroaie said that Khabina has an unmatched single-mindedness when it comes to academics.

"Yana is very focused and very motivated," Ghioroaie said. "She is a classic overachiever in the classroom. She's not happy unless she has a 4.0. She is always striving for an A+ even if she already has an A."

Ghioroaie first noticed Khabina's competitiveness at a junior championship meet in the Netherlands in 2016, where she was representing her native Ukraine. He asked her if she might consider coming to Toledo to compete for the Rockets. Even though Khabina had no idea where Toledo was and was only a semester away from earning a bachelor's degree from the National University of Taxation of Ukraine in Kiev, she decided to take a chance.

"I thought, why not?" she said.  "It was perfect. I would get a good education in the U.S. and do what I love to do, which is compete in track & field."

Khabina entered UToledo in January of 2017. Only some of her previous college credits transferred, which pushed back her timeline toward receiving her bachelor's degree. She was undeterred and quickly began thriving in the classroom, despite the fact that English is only her third language behind Ukrainian and Russian.

"Language was never a barrier for me because I was always good in English back home and could understand most everything when I got here," she said. "I did have problems expressing myself at first, but I've gotten so much better. I find I am even thinking in English now."

Khabina earned her bachelor's degree in finance in August of 2019, graduating with a 3.97 GPA. She is now in graduate school and hopes to receive her master's degree in applied business analytics by either the spring or summer of 2021. She is the UToledo president of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society, a business honor society limited to those in the top 10 percent of their undergraduate class or the top five percent of their graduate class. After graduation, she hopes to work as a data analyst for either a large venture capital company or a smaller startup. Overall, she gives her academic experience at Toledo an A+.

"I am so grateful to Coach Adrian for giving me this opportunity," said Khabina. "I've gotten to experience a new language and a new culture that is so different from my own country. It wasn't always easy for me because it forced me to leave my comfort zone. But I have gained so much knowledge of the business world, and my knowledge of finance has grown so much. I know now that I really know nothing. I have so much more to learn."

While her academic career has been meteoric, Khabina's success on the track has had some hurdles, so to speak. From the start of her very first semester of competition in 2017, things didn't go as planned.

"I went straight into competition as soon as I got here and then straight into outdoor as soon as indoor was over," said Khabina. "That was new to me, and my body was a little shocked. In Ukraine, there was always a long period after the indoor season when you trained before you began competing in outdoors. My body was not ready." Khabina pulled a hamstring in the early stages of the outdoor season but did manage to return in time to finish in eighth place in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2017 MAC Outdoor Championships.

Khabina worked her way into top form in 2018 and was considered one of the favorites in the hurdles at the MAC Outdoor Championships. In the prelims, however, her trailing foot hit a hurdle, causing her to stumble; she failed to make the finals. In 2019, she pulled a quadriceps muscle during the indoor season while high jumping as part of a pentathlon competition. It was a setback, though she eventually worked her way back into shape, taking sixth place in the hurdles at outdoor MACs.

This past year, Khabina performed well in the indoor season, setting a school record in the 600-meter dash. Healthy and fit, she appeared primed for a big outdoor season -- until COVID-19 put an end to her plans.

The pandemic brought something of a silver lining for Khabina, however. The NCAA ruled that seniors participating in spring sports could return for another year of competition. Khabina jumped at the opportunity, which meant she could have one more chance to compete and also move further along toward completing her master's degree. "I was happy it worked out for me this way," she said. "Whatever happens, happens for some reason."

Khabina now has her sights set on the goal that would make her college experience in America complete – to be called a champion.

"Yana is blessed to have another chance to compete," said Ghioroaie. "She's in great shape right now. This could be her year. Her goal should be to win a MAC Championship."

"I was a national (youth) champion in Ukraine so it is my goal to be a champion again and win a MAC title," said Khabina. "That would be a great way to end my career at UT."

Previous Stories About Academic and Community Achievements of Rocket Student-Athletes
Sept. 30 - Golf Brings a World of Experience to David Amm
Sept. 24 - Erin Hunt Expanding Her Future Options in Medical Field
Sept. 22 - Emma Sampson Making the Most of Her Time at Toledo
Sept. 17 - Alex Kelker Follows Fast Track to Graduate School
Sept. 15 - Spencer Littleson Using Business Classes to Prepare for Coaching Career
Sept. 10 - Ashton Cassel and Betsy Lueck Perfecting Nursing Craft with Rockets            
Sept. 4 - Chloee Kleespies is Driven to Help Other Diabetic Athletes
Sept. 1 - Stephanie Sherman Follows New Course to Surprising Career Path
Aug. 27 - Amelia Lee Programming Herself for Future Success
Aug. 25 - Competition Breeds Success for Mariah Copeland
Aug. 21 - Eileen Carney Gets Her Teeth into Student-Athlete Experience
Aug. 18 - Bryce Harris Followed His Heart to Find a Career Path