The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Herea named finalist for Class of 2026 Honda Sport Award for Tennis
05.27.2026 | Women's Tennis
Sophomore Carmen Herea is one of four finalists for the award honoring the nation’s top collegiate women’s tennis player.
New York – Texas Women's Tennis sophomore Carmen Herea has been named one of four finalists for the Class of 2026 Honda Sport Award for Tennis, The Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) has announced.
The tennis finalists were selected according to final ITA collegiate rankings and NCAA competition. The Honda Sport Award winner for tennis will be announced later this week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Reese Brantmeier (North Carolina), Lucciana Perez (Texas A&M) and Luciana Perry (Ohio State) are the other three finalists.
Herea, who was just named an ITA All-American in singles on Tuesday, finished the season ranked No. 3 in singles by the ITA, while she had also reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles Championships in November. She becomes one of three Longhorns to ever be a finalist for the Honda Sport Award for tennis, along with Bianca Turati in 2018, and Peyton Stearns who won the award in 2022.
A First-Team All-SEC selection this season, Herea rose to No. 1 in the ITA singles rankings and became the fourth Longhorn since 1995 to do so, including Stearns in 2022, Bianca Turati in 2018 and Kelly Pace in 1995. Additionally, Herea was runner-up at the ITA All-American Championships in September as part of a 23-8 overall singles record that included a 16-6 mark in dual matches, all of which came at No. 1, and 8-2 in the SEC. She registered five top-15 victories and 12 top-50 wins that included two wins over fellow finalist Luciana Perry, who was ranked No. 5 at the time of both matches. Herea tied for the team lead with four overall clinches and was second with five doubles clinches. She posted a 12-11 overall record in doubles, all in dual matches, with four partners and mostly at No. 3, along with being 6-5 in SEC play.
The CWSA celebrates its 50th anniversary during the 2025-26 collegiate athletics season. For five decades, the Honda Sport Award has honored the nation's top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports, symbolizing "the best of the best in collegiate athletics." The recipient will become a finalist for the prestigious Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the Class of 2026 Honda Cup, to be presented live on Monday, July 27, at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.
As the CWSA marks its 50th anniversary, the organization continues its longstanding mission to honor excellence in athletics, leadership, academics, and community service. Since 1986, Honda has contributed more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to support women's athletics programs nationwide.
