A Northeast Ohio native and star track & field athlete has joined the newest class of Dexcom U, the only NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) program explicitly designed for college athletes living with Type 1 diabetes.
The Local Runner
Kya Epps, a senior student-athlete at the University of Cincinnati and Akron native, has been running short sprints for most of her life.
"I've been running for... probably 15 years. I've been running for a while," Epps said.
It wasn't her parents who recommended she try the sport—a best friend from grade school encouraged her to give it a shot.
"She was like, 'You should join the team,' and I was like, 'OK,' so I joined the team, (and) ended up really liking and enjoying like the whole team atmosphere," Epps explained.
And the rest has been history.
The sprinter attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, the alma mater of Lebron James, where she set a state record in the 100m and 200m in 2022 as a high school senior.
Epps's main events include the 100 and 200 meter sprints, along with the 4x400m and 4x100m relay races— the 200 being her favorite.
"Something about running the curve is just my favorite thing," Epps said.
She is the indoor record holder for the 60m (7.21) and the 200m (22.90) at UC, making All Big 12 Indoor in both events last indoor season, and All Big 12 Outdoor in the 200m and 4x100m.
Epps also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championship in the 200m and was an NCAA East First Round Qualifier in the 100m and 200m.
As Epps has reached many accomplishments on the track, growing up and spending most of her time in Northeast Ohio is something Epps takes pride in. Even her higher education years have been spent in-state.
"I love it. A lot of people say like, 'Oh, you're stuck in Ohio.' I'm definitely one of those people, I'm stuck in Ohio," said Epps. "I transferred, last year, my junior year, but I was also in a D2 school in Ohio as well, so (I) didn't make it very far."
But the journey hasn't always been an easy one, though.
Diagnosis
Epps was first diagnosed with diabetes in the 8th grade.
What is diabetes?
She recalled how it felt to have such a major change early on in her life as an athlete.
"I didn't know what it was. My mom didn't know what it was, so that whole experience was a little scary at first. When the doctors came in and told me, I was like, well, this is like the new normal now, so we're just gonna have to attack it head-on," Epps explained. "Then, at first, once I was getting going with it, the track season was coming up. I was really nervous about it. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to compete still, not really having a handle on my glucose levels."
As time went on, Epps was able to face her new reality with resilience. She now uses a gadget that helps her track her glucose levels more efficiently.
"With my Dexcom G7 sensor, I was able to manage my glucose and also have my mom manage it as well while I'm at practice, which has made it a lot easier... I have a little app on my phone, and so my Dexcom G7 CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) goes into my phone, and I'm able to see my glucose at live-time and everything, which is really awesome," Epps said.
Welcome to Dexcom U
Out of over 200 nominations, Epps was chosen to be one of the newest athletes in Dexcom U's fourth season. She said she first heard about the program in 2024.
"I believe it was the season 3, and I was like, 'Wow, I really want to be a part of that,'" Epps said. "I worked with our NIL team here at Cincinnati, Eddie (assistant director), and it took about a year, but he was emailing them back and forth, and then I was able to get that interview."
And part of it she was.
Earlier this summer, Epps joined her fellow new members in Baltimore for the Dexcom U Signing Day Camp, which Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews hosted.
"I interacted with little kids who had diabetes," Epps said. "Just being there, being a mentor, being able to help parents as well, cause at the end of the session, parents were asking questions—just being able to help them with their kids and just being able to like inspire them was really awesome."
The short sprinter said she always wanted to have someone to look up to to get a sense that she wasn't going through her journey alone. Now, she has become that role model for others.
"At first I was a little scared cause I don't always know what's going on with my glucose and everything, but I made it here. I'm still an athlete," Epps said, adding how good it feels to have kids now look up to her.
Epps joins 12 other student-athletes competing at the highest level in their respective sports, representing the unique NIL program as ambassadors and showcasing how CGM technology can help them reach peak performance—on and off their fields and courts.
The exclusive NIL program aims to celebrate athletes with diabetes and provide them with a platform to share their stories and experiences, all while addressing misconceptions and propelling new narratives about diabetes.
Here are all the students in this year's class:
Epps is preparing not only to compete in her senior year at UC, but also to inspire other athletes with diabetes, showing them that they, too, can be in her position one day.
