DENVER – The University of Denver women's tennis player
Louise Wikander earned three ITA Mountain Regionals awards, as announced by the ITA on Tuesday.
Three of the seven regional awards went to Wikander: ITA Senior Player of the Year, ITA Most Improved Player and the prestigious ITA Cissie Leary Sportsmanship award.
Wikander was the only player in the ITA Mountain Regional to earn multiple of the region's awards this year.
The Denver senior from Helsingborg, Sweden, had a breakout year in 2025-26. The Summit League Player of the Year made the jump to the No. 1 singles slot for DU this year where she spent the entire spring dual season and racked up a 25-10 overall record including 14-6 in duals. In doubles, she played at the No. 2 spot, going 21-12 overall and 11-6 in dual matches.
During the fall season, Wikander was 5-1 in singles and won the ITA Mountain Regional singles title, qualifying her for the NCAA Division I Singles Championship field for the first time in her career. She also represented the Summit League at the ITA Conference Masters Championships in doubles with fellow senior
Marley Lambert, advancing all the way to the consolation semifinals before falling in a match tiebreak.
In the ITA Mountain Regional rankings that were released on June 3, Wikander came in at No. 8 in singles, marking her third consecutive year appearing in the regional singles rankings and jumping seven spots after her 2024-25 ranking. She ranked as high as No. 79 nationally in singles during the 2025-26 season, the highest national ranking of her career, and held the No. 71 spot in the preseason doubles rankings.
The ITA Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award is presented to a junior, senior or graduate student who "displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced the team's performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis.
As part of her nomination, Wikander submitted a personal statement in which she explained, "I believe success in sports is not only measured through results but also through the impact you leave on the people around you. I hope I have had a positive impact on my teammates, coaches and community by creating an environment built on encouragement, respect and support."
Wikander finishes her four-year career at Denver with All-Summit League Team honors each season and 11 combined Summit League weekly awards. She has earned ITA Scholar-Athlete status through her first three seasons and is expected to collect a fourth win the 2026 awards are announced this summer. She also owns two Summit League Academic All-League honors in her career.
She finishes her collegiate career with an 87-40 singles record and an 88-40 doubles record. She became the new Denver NCAA Division I record holder for most career doubles victories (88), and her 87 career singles wins are the sixth most in Denver's NCAA Division I history. Her 175 combined wins are third most in DU's NCAA Division I history. Additionally, her .688 career doubles winning percentage ranks No. 10 in the Denver DI record book.
Wikander becomes the second Denver women's tennis player to be named the ITA Regional's Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award winner, joining
Anna Riedmiller (2021). She is the fourth ITA Senior Player of the Year regional award winner in program history (also:
Taylor Melville, 2023;
Julia O'Loughlin, 2018; and
Sophia Bergner, 2013). She also joins Riedmiller (2021) and
Arisha Ladhani (2019) as an ITA Regional Most Improved Player.
Wikander is now eligible for the ITA national awards, which will be announced on Tuesday, June 16.
Denver is joined by Air Force, Boise State, BYU, Colorado, Colorado State, Idaho, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Nevada, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, UNLV, Utah, Utah State, UTEP, Weber State and Wyoming in the ITA Mountain Regional.
2025-26 ITA MOUNTAIN REGIONAL AWARD WINNERS
ITA/Dunlop Coach of the Year: Anthony Pham (Colorado)
ITA Assistant Coach of the Year: Melissa Kopinski (Utah)
ITA Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award: Louise Wikander (Denver)
ITA Most Improved Player: Louise Wikander (Denver)
ITA Player to Watch: Montana Parkinson-Lubold (New Mexico State)
ITA Rookie of the Year: Sage Bergeson (BYU)
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Louise Wikander (Denver)
ITA Community Service Award: Boise State University
