Tempe, AZ – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (“ITA”) is delighted to announce today the three finalists for the 2026 ITA Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award as endowed by global tennis icon, Billie Jean King.
Now in the awards ninth year, this national honor was created to celebrate a recent college graduate who played college tennis, demonstrated excellence in all aspects of being a student-athlete, was a leader on his or her team, and was an influential contributor on his or her college campus and community.
The recipient of the award will have demonstrated grit (i.e. passion and perseverance towards long-term goals), a commitment to social justice and equality, and will have pushed others to be leaders in addition to demonstrating his or her own leadership.
Finalists for the 2026 ITA Ann Lebedeff Award, selected based on their exemplary efforts in all efforts that come with being a student-athlete, are: Lexi Barbee (Sewanee University), Haley Levine (Hobart & William Smith Colleges), and Marielle Sauber (Smith College).
“The Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award recognizes student-athletes who leave a lasting impact far beyond the tennis court,” said ITA CEO David Mullins. “These finalists exemplify what it means to lead with purpose—demonstrating integrity and a deep commitment to uplifting others in their communities. We are proud to honor their achievements and the meaningful difference they continue to make.”
All finalists, who have already submitted personal statements as well as letters of support from coaches, teammates, and professors, will now submit a resume and letter from their institution’s President to be reviewed by the ITA Ann Lebedeff Award Selection Panel. Once determined, the winner will be awarded a post-graduate scholarship, while a $1,000 donation will be made to the award winner’s college tennis program from the ITA.
Previous winners of this prestigious award include: Ella Brissett (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 2025), Esther Adehina (Tennessee, 2024), Nathan Turtledove (St. Lawrence, 2023), Caroline Vincent (Army, 2022), Victoria Flores (Georgia Tech, 2021), Daniel Park (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 2020), Andrew “Drew” Atkins (Duquesne, 2019), and Nithya Kanagasegar (Case Western Reserve, 2018).
Read more about each of the four finalists below.
Lexi Barbee | Sewanee University | NCAA Division III
Sewanee’s Lexi Barbee credits her leadership development not by the moments of success on the court, but rather by the challenges that forced her to step away from them. Growing up within the sport of tennis, Barbee at the age of 12 went from training four hours per day to struggling to walk to her mailbox. After three years of uncertainty, Barbee was diagnosed with POTS which made her rethink her relationship with tennis and what it truly meant in her life. Moving forward with purpose rather than fear, Barbee embraced all of the challenges thrown her way and chose to attend Sewanee where she could be challenged both academically and athletically. Knowing that her contributions on the court might be limited, Barbee was still embraced by the Sewanee team and she took on many different roles off the court to still make an impact on the team. Eventually becoming a team captain for the Sewanee program, Barbee learned that leadership is not defined by performance on the court, but by how you serve those around you. In her broader community, Barbee co-founded Sewanee’s first consulting club to enable students to work directly with local businesses, competing to develop solutions which would be directly implemented in their business strategies. Additionally, Barbee served as the President of the Sewanee Rotaract Club, a student-led service organization partnered with the Sewanee Rotary. In the classroom, Barbee is studying to graduate with a degree in Finance. She has achieved a 3.96 GPA as a student-athlete and has earned several academic awards both from her institution and athletic conference.
Haley Levine | Hobart and William Smith Colleges | NCAA Division III
Growing up, Haley Levine never had a firm grasp on how much a team could change the way a person experiences a sport. However, when she arrived at William Smith she felt a shift in her perspective, turning frustration into encouragement, accountability, and trust, both in herself and those around her. Tennis and higher education have pushed Levine beyond being a highly self-pressured individual competitor and have taught her how to lead in a way that serves others too. Now as a senior captain for her team, Levine loves pushing her teammates to be better and reminding them of what they are capable of, even when they do not fully see it in themselves yet. Not just balancing tennis and school, Levine also is a varsity athlete on the swimming and diving team, and has juggled serving as a volunteer EMT, working three jobs, and committing herself fully to academics and campus leadership on top of it all. On her campus, Lavine has served as a Head Campus Ambassador, a peer mentor through the Laurel Honor Society, and as a research assistant in the Center for Teaching and Learning. In May, Lavine will graduate with a double major in Latin American Studies and Psychological Science, with double minors in Biology and Spanish and Hispanic Studies. Next fall, she will be attending the University of Pennsylvania for her Master’s in Professional Nursing on an accelerated pathway into nursing and nurse leadership. Here, she wants to be a voice, a source of comfort, and someone patients can trust.
Marielle Sauber | Smith College | NCAA Division III
For Marielle Sauber, the tennis courts have always been a safe place for her to step away from some of her struggles and focus on the lone challenge in front of her on the other side of the net. At Smith College, Sauber was able to use tennis in more ways, finding a place where she was able to find both community and purpose. As a leader both on and off the court, Sauber faced many injury challenges throughout her career, and instead of letting those define her time in college she used the adversity to find new ways to contribute as a leader on her campus. During her time as a student-athlete, Sauber has served as the Treasurer of the Smith College SAAC and as the Chair of the ITA Student-Athlete Council. In both of these roles she led initiatives focused on mental health, professional development, diversity and inclusion, and community engagement. Additionally, Sauber has interned in Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Office where she was able to put her schooling into action and solidify her post-graduation plans. As a leader on the team as well, Sauber takes pride in mentoring younger players on her team. During her four seasons at Smith, Sauber has led her team to consecutive conference tournaments, and this season has helped the team achieve their highest national ranking in decades. In the classroom, Sauber is double-majoring in Neuroscience and Spanish, with the goal of pursuing advocacy, law, and politics after graduation.
The ITA is the governing body of college tennis and a coaches association, both an advocate and an authority for the sport and its members. The ITA is committed to serving college tennis and returning the leaders of tomorrow while promoting both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, founded in 1956, is comprised of more than 2,000 men’s and women’s varsity tennis teams representing more than 1,250 institutions, 3,000 college tennis coaches, 1,400 college tennis officials, while administering numerous regional and national championships, and the ITA College Tennis Rankings for 20,000 college varsity student-athletes across five levels of play. The ITA also bolsters an industry-leading awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership, and sportsmanship. Keep up with all of the excitement around college tennis by visiting WeAreCollegeTennis.com and following the ITA on Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
