GILBERT, Ariz. (July 14, 2026) – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced its academic awards for the 2025-26 season this week, as the University of North Alabama men's and women's tennis teams both earned the award.
In addition, eight student-athletes that finished the season were recognized as individual academic award winners. To win the academic award, individuals must have a 3.5 GPA and must have been eligible for the season. Teams must have a collective 3.2 GPA.
"Another great achievement for the teams this season," said UNA Director of Tennis Olaya Garrido-Rivas. "This year, the team had gotten recognition for their efforts on the court and in the community, so it's nice to get recognized for their hard work in the classroom, as well. I am proud of how hard they've worked this past year and can't wait to see what comes next for this group. Roar Lions!"
The women's program had six of its eight student-athletes recognized individually, including
Eeva Ristola,
Mathilde Delaney,
Farah Asaad,
Sammie Schouten,
Ada Karabacak and
Louise Booker. The men's side included
Satoru Nakajima and
Izan Orgiles.
On the men's side, the ITA recognized 1,008 student-athletes with 162 teams winning the award across NCAA Division I. The women's side had 1,501 individual recipients and 231 teams in Division I.
The UNA women completed a memorable season in 2026 with a 17-7 overall record, including a perfect 7-0 record at home. The Lions eliminated Austin Peay from the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship in the quarterfinal round before falling to eventual-champion North Florida, who finished 25-1.
The women's program went on to play in the UTR Sports NIT Championship in Rome, Ga. The Lions made an impressive run to the championship match, defeating Army with a 4-0 sweep in the quarterfinal round before stunning Kansas State in the semifinal with a 4-3 win. The Lions fell 4-2 against Arkansas State in the championship final.
UNA's win over Kansas State was the first win over a Power Four opponent in program history.
The men's program finished 15-10 overall and went a perfect 5-0 in conference play. The Lions also went 7-1 at home. UNA pulled off a thrilling 4-3 win over Abilene Christian in the ASUN Championship Quarterfinal, as ACU played as an associate member this season and will be a future member of the United Athletic Conference in 2026-27. UNA fell to Stetson in the semifinal round but defeated the Hatters in the regular season. Both games were 4-3 finals.
In the UTR Sports NIT Championship, the UNA men defeated Longwood by a 4-2 final to make an appearance in the championship final against Virginia Tech. The Hokies won 4-2 in a tight match.
Both the men and women finished in the ITA Regional Rankings this season.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
