Sarena Biria Named ITA Division III Most Improved Player

TEMPE, Ariz. -- University of Chicago junior

Sarena Biria has been selected as the 2026 ITA Division III Most Improved Player, as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Wednesday afternoon.

After entirely playing #3 and #4 singles during her sophomore season, Biria stepped into the #1 singles and captaincy role for a young University of Chicago team that had lofty goals during the season. In the fall, Biria got off to a hot start during the fall season as she locked up her first career ITA All-America award by winning the ITA Central Region singles title. Biria cruised to a pair of opening round wins over Monmouth and Hope before battling a pair of UAA foes from WashU in the Round of 16 and Quarterfinals. She gutted out a tough three-set win over Caitlin Bui in the Round of 16 and defeated Lily Brecknock in straight sets in the Quarterfinals to set up an all-UChicago semi. In the semifinals, Biria earned a three-set win over her teammate,

Anika Paul, to reach the Regional Championship against the #1 singles player from WashU, Eliana Hanna. Biria lost the opening set, but she came from behind to win the next two sets 6-2, 6-4 to claim the ITA Central Region title.

Biria held the #1 singles position all spring long for the Maroons, leading UChicago to a top-4 ranking in every poll during the 2025-26 season. The Maroons extended their program streak to 47 consecutive polls ranked in the top 25, and they also jumped to #1 in the ITA poll on April 29. She compiled a 28-11 record on the season, including 9 wins over nationally-ranked opponents, but five of her 11 losses during the season came to Division I or Division II foes.

Biria was named the Central Region Most Improved Player after qualifying for the Individual National Championships as the #2-ranked player in NCAA Division III. She also earned 1st-Team All-UAA honors and was named the UAA Player of the Year as she was a perfect 7-0 against UAA opponents, with five of those seven wins coming against the national runners-up, WashU. Biria helped lead the Maroons to their fifth consecutive UAA Championship this spring with wins over the #37-ranked player from Babson, the #22-ranked player from Carnegie Mellon, and the #3-ranked player from WashU.

In the NCAA Tournament, Biria helped lead UChicago to its ninth consecutive National Quarterfinal appearance with wins over #66 Luther and #19 Gustavus Adolphus. The Maroons were bounced in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive season, falling to #5 Babson on the opening day of the championships. In the individual draw, Biria drew a tough challenge in the opening round with the #4-ranked player in NCAA Division III, Rebecca Kong from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Despite falling to Kong in the opening round of the ITA Cup (3-6, 6-2, 1-6) in the fall, Biria bounced back from dropping the first seven games of the match to earn a 0-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory. Then, Biria took down Genevra Muratori from Skidmore in the second round with a 6-4, 6-2 win, and she defeated the #16 player in the country, Lauren Rha from Pomona-Pitzer, in the quarterfinals, avenging another loss from earlier in the season. Biria would eventually fall in the National Semifinals to the eventual National Champion, but she became just the fourth University of Chicago player in program history to reach the National Semifinals in the singles draw.

Biria is the first player in University of Chicago history to be named the ITA National Most Improved Player, and she becomes just the second University of Chicago student-athlete in program history to earn a national award from the ITA, joining

Sylwia Mikos, who was named the Rookie of the Year in 2022.