Hockey player from Ukraine finds home at Liberty, surrounded by world changers

She is a fighter and an overcomer, a standout in the ice rink and the boxing ring as well as in the classroom and potentially the political arena.

Valeriia Manchak, a graduate student pursuing a Master of Arts in Public Policy, enjoyed a phenomenal first season as a forward and leading scorer on Liberty University’s ACHA Division I women’s hockey team.

The native of Ukraine — who spent last year playing among NCAA Division I prospects from Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Kazakhstan, and China on the Hockey Training Institute’s Elite Stars in Ontario, Canada — was a diamond in the rough of a find for Lady Flames Head Coach Chris Lowes.

Manchak, 23, ranked sixth in the ACHA in scoring with 14 goals and 27 assists in the regular season before adding two goals in a 3-0 triumph over McKendree in the semifinal round of the inaugural WMCHL Tournament in St. Louis. She helped the top-ranked Lady Flames edge No. 2 Minot State, 2-1, in the March 9 WMCHL championship game before COVID-19 canceled the March 25-29 ACHA DI National Championships in Frisco, Texas, depriving them of a chance for a three-peat at nationals.

Before starting her college journey at age 14, Manchak’s childhood dream was to become President of Ukraine.

Already fluent in Russian and English, she studied law, chemistry, and physics as electives at Yaroslav the Wise National Law Academy in Kharkiv, completing her undergraduate and graduate degrees in criminal justice by 21, by which time her career ambitions had changed.

“I realized that I want to study law and be a prosecutor so I can change laws and stop corruption,” she said.

Despite growing up in a single-parent home and in a politically unstable country, Manchak thrived.

“My dad left us when I was 2 years old, but my mom did a great job of influencing me to become a leader,” she said. “She taught me that you have to fight for everything under the sun and do the best in everything you do with God’s inspiration.”

At age 9, Manchak traveled to the United States as the only girl on a Ukrainian boys’ hockey team that played in tournaments in Boston, Philadelphia, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

“It was pretty tough being a girl on a boys’ team, but I became a leader, even among guys,” she said. “It inspired me to be better. I took a lot of checks, but they made me the strong person and athlete that I am.”

At age 13, she shifted her passion for hockey to boxing, a sport she exceled in for the next six years. After just three months of training, she won a national championship in the 54-kilogram weight class and barely missed qualifying to box for Ukraine at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

She returned to hockey at 19, when she was one of three captains to lead the club team Korolevy Dnepra to its first Ukrainian women’s national championship.

“I was happy that I inspired girls to make history,” she said.

Manchak has equally ambitious personal goals, which include representing the Ukrainian women’s hockey team at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.

“It almost happened with boxing, and I want to make it happen for hockey,” she said. “Dreams come true if you believe in them, and Coach (Lowes) sees my desire and supports it. He is always glad to work with me to get better as a player every day. I am trying to improve myself as a student, as a person, and as a hockey player.”

Lowes said Manchak’s dedication level is unsurpassed among her peers.

“Her desire and commitment for our team to be successful, along with her commitment to being at her best so she can contribute in every way possible, is very evident,” he said. “She spends extra time in the gym, in the shooting booth, and any extra ice time that she can. She has that love of the game and her results show that. She’s an elite player and we needed her because she has so much fire and energy, and she brings that out in her teammates.”

For now, Manchak is the only Lady Flames Division I player remaining in Lynchburg, due to travel restrictions that prevent her from returning to Ukraine. She is staying with a friend’s family while finishing her spring semester online and rehabilitating from a series of injuries.

“I am happy that I have a family taking care of me and a place to stay, as well as a lot of support from staff and doctors trying to heal all of the injuries that I had,” Manchak said. “I am thankful to God that I am around people I love who are inspiring me and helping me to get better. This is a good time to rethink everything and get prepared for the expectations of next season.”

She is also preparing for her post-hockey career path.

“I have a dream to change the world in a better way through strategic agencies where I will work,” she said. “Only God knows where I’ll be tomorrow, and I will rely on Him to help me choose what I want to do.”

Even in this time of uncertainty, she encourages others to take bold steps of faith.

“Fortune favors the bold, no matter what you do,” Manchak said. “We only live once, so we should rely on God … to change the world and inspire others as we tell our story. It doesn’t matter where you are, but who you are, and the people around you who share a passion for God and have a great story will shape the world. I am happy for the environment I am in at Liberty, where I am surrounded by great people in public policy who are going to make changes in the world and make changes in life.”