Tempe, AZ – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (“ITA”) is pleased to announce the 2025 ITA Division III Women’s National Award recipients. Every year the ITA recognizes coaches and student-athletes for their excellence both on the court and in their communities throughout the season.
The Division III national awards include: ITA Coach of the Year, ITA Assistant Coach of the Year, Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship, ITA Rookie of the Year, ITA Most Improved Player, ITA Senior Player of the Year, and the ITA Player to Watch.
Continue reading below to find out more about each of the 2025 ITA National Award winners:
ITA Coach of the Year
Ben Lamanna | Bowdoin College
Ben Lamanna from Bowdoin College has been named the 2025 ITA Division III Women’s Coach of the Year. Leading the Bowdoin team to an impressive 17-5 record this season, Lamanna has guided his team to a national ranking of No. 8 in the nation. Playing in the very difficult NESCAC, Bowdoin has earned wins over the likes of Amherst, Tufts, Williams, and WashU already this season. Winning their NCAA Regional final over MIT, the Polar Bears have earned their spot into the Round of Eight and will face Emory in Claremont for a spot in the NCAA Semifinals. This season has been a continuation of the continuing growth the Bowdoin program has shown under Lamanna’s guidance since he was named head coach back in 2019.
ITA Assistant Coach of the Year
Patria Aziza | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges
Patria Aziza from Pomona-Pitzer Colleges has been named the 2025 ITA Division III Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year. Helping coach one of the top women’s programs in the country, Aziza has been an integral part of the Sagehens sustained success over the past few seasons. With a record of 15-7 on the season, Pomona-Pitzer currently ranks No. 4 in the country and has ranked as high as No. 2 earlier in the year. Winners of their last 12 matches, the Sagehens won the SCIAC Tournament for the second consecutive year and have advanced to the Round Eight in the NCAA Tournament. Aziza and the entire Pomona-Pitzer team will look to continue to impress in Claremont where they will be competing for a national title.
ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award
Ella Brissett | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Ella Brissett from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps has been named the 2025 ITA Division III Women’s Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award winner. As a member of the CMS women’s tennis team, Ella Brissett has shined both athletically and academically, competing for national championships with the Athenas while leading several important service groups on-campus as well. As a sophomore, Brissett founded The Women Empowerment in Sports Club which aims to build bridges between female student-athletes both throughout her campus as well as in the broader community. Through this club, Brissett and other members have helped organize alumni panels and National Girls and Women in Sports Day activities aimed at empowering elementary school girls. Meanwhile, on the court Brissett has been an integral part of the CMS women’s tennis team who won back-to-back NCAA Division III National Championships in 2022 and 2023, while also winning the ITA National Team Indoor Championship during her junior year.
ITA Rookie of the Year
Caitlin Bui | Washington University in St. Louis
Caitlin Bui from Washington University in St. Louis has been named the 2025 ITA Division III Women’s Rookie of the Year. Stepping on campus and making an immediate impact, Bui has established herself as one of the top singles and doubles players in the nation. In singles, Bui has gone 18-4 primarily from the No. 2 singles position and is currently ranked No. 11 in the ITA Singles Rankings. Meanwhile, in doubles, Bui won the ITA Cup Doubles Title back in the fall and remained ranked as the No. 1 doubles pair throughout a majority of the spring season. The WashU team has qualified for the final site and will be matched up against UChicago in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship.
ITA Most Improved Player
Nina Farhat | Middlebury College
Nina Farhat from the Middlebury College has been named the 2025 ITA Division III Women’s Most Improved Player. As a senior captain now for the Middlebury team, Farhat has continued to climb up the lineup and improve year by year during her time at the collegiate level. Not seeing much playing time her first three seasons, Farhat has primarily played at the No. 1 doubles and No. 6 singles lines this season. Ranked No. 1 in the nation in doubles this year, Farhat was a regional doubles semifinalist and regional singles quarterfinalist this past fall. Across all play, Farhat has gone 24-2 in singles and 27-4 in doubles helping Middlebury to a 18-3 overall record and a berth into the NCAA Tournament.
ITA Senior Player of the Year
Olivia Soffer | Babson College
Olivia Soffer from Babson College has been named the 2025 ITA Division III Women’s Senior Player of the Year. As one of the top players in all of Division III tennis throughout her career, Soffer has continued to impress this season helping Babson to a 15-7 record on the year. Earning many honors over here career, Soffer was the 2024 NCAA Doubles Champion and was the 2023 NCAA Runner-Up in both singles and doubles. This season Soffer was named the NEWMAC Player of the Year for the fourth consecutive year becoming the first player to ever accomplish this feat. Soffer departs Babson with a 130-20 career record across both singles and doubles play.
ITA Player to Watch
Eliana Hanna | Washington University in St. Louis
Eliana Hanna from Washington University in St. Louis has been named the 2025 ITA Division III Women’s Player to Watch. Playing primarily No. 3 singles for the WashU women’s tennis team who have just recently advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals, Hanna has made a huge impact on her teams success this season both as a player and a leader. Showing improvement year-over-year in both singles and doubles, Hanna has a 12-5 overall record in singles and a 15-7 overall record in doubles this year. Currently ranked No. 36 in the ITA Singles Rankings, Hanna is one of the top players in her region and anticipates to continue to have an increased role in her team’s success as she enters her senior year.
