The Universal Tennis Foundation is excited to announce that Michael Zheng of Columbia University and Reese Brantmeier of the University of North Carolina have been named the 2026 Hurd Award champions. Trevor Svajda of SMU and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer of UCLA have been named the finalists.
Made possible by Paula Hurd and the Universal Tennis Foundation, the Hurd Awards are $100,000 annual grants that support one male and one female American tennis player transitioning from college to pro tennis.
The four standout student-athletes were honored in an awards ceremony at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open and highlighted in a special Tennis Channel segment that featured UTR Sports CEO and Chairman Mark Leschly, Hurd, and 2018 Hurd Award champion Christopher Eubanks.
"I was just super grateful and honored to be selected for this award. There were so many great previous winners that went on to have great careers, and I was just really excited to join the Hurd family," Zheng said following the awards ceremony at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Brantmeier said the funds will lessen the financial burden on her as she prepares to pursue her lifelong dream of playing pro tennis. "This is a life-changing amount of financial support, and this is going to be the thing that makes my dream be able to be a reality," she said.
Since 2024, the Universal Tennis Foundation has partnered with Gordon Uehling and The Person First that he created with world-renowned sports psychologist Dr. Jim Loehr to expand the awards.
Thanks to their generosity, the Hurd Awards also include $40,000 grants for two finalists (one male and one female). Both finalists are invited to be a part of The Person First and will be mentored by Dr. Loehr this summer.
Presenting the Universal Tennis Foundation 2026 Hurd Award recipients! 🎉 🙌
— UTR Sports (@UTR_Sports_) March 8, 2026
Champions:
🏅 Michael Zheng
🏅 Reese Brantmeier
Finalists:
🏅 Trevor Svajda
🏅 Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer pic.twitter.com/zHBmzbTVlS
Past Hurd Award recipients include Colton Smith and Mary Stoiana (2025), Ethan Quinn and Fiona Crawley (2024), Peyton Stearns and Andrew Fenty (2023), Danielle Collins and Mackenzie McDonald (2017), Christopher Eubanks and Francesca Di Lorenzo (2018), J.C. Aragone and Jamie Loeb (2019), and J.J. Wolf and Sophie Whittle (2020).
Zheng (UTR Rating 14.90) is at a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 145 after qualifying and making the second round of the 2026 Australian Open. Zheng, a two-time NCAA individual champion, beat 2024 Hurd Award Champion Ethan Quinn in the first round Down Under and is currently No. 1 in the UTR Sports College Player Rankings.
In last year’s NCAA final, Zheng edged out Svajda 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. In Indian Wells, Zheng received a wild card into the main draw but dropped a tight opener against Vit Koprova of Czechia, who’s No. 62 in the ATP Rankings. Zheng has competed at all levels, including improving his game on the UTR Pro Tennis Tour in 2021-22.
Brantmeier (UTR 11.26) also won the NCAA individual title last November. The Wisconsin native was named the 2025 ACC Player of the Year and became the first player in University of North Carolina women’s tennis history to earn eight All-American honors.
Brantmeier has persisted through three knee surgeries and is already giving back. Through her self-named foundation, she helped restore two tennis courts in her hometown of Whitewater, Wisc.
"This award, giving me that opportunity, is something I'm going to be eternally grateful for. And just being able to be associated with the Hurd Award and everyone that is involved with the [Universal Tennis] Foundation is just so amazing," Brantmeier said. "I think they exemplify some of the greatest character that you can have in their selflessness of supporting players through this pathway."
Svajda, 19, already has the third-highest UTR Rating in all of men’s college tennis (14.44), according to the UTR Sports College Player Rankings. He’s just inside the Top 400 of the ATP Rankings and recently fell in the first round of the ATP 500 event in Dallas to Quinn. In May 2023, Svajda improved his game while winning a UTR PTT title in Newport Beach.
In doubles, Svajda and his older brother, Zachary, reached the quarterfinals of the ATP Challenger tournament in San Diego in January.
“I'm super stoked about it, and I was honestly just very emotional,” Svajda said upon learning that he was named a finalist. “This will just give me a little bit of belief and just help me feel more comfortable out there.”
Lutkemeyer (11.12) is a senior at UCLA and leads the Bruins, who are coached by the legendary Stella Sampras Webster and currently sit at No. 14 in the latest UTR Sports College Team Rankings.
Lutkemyer was named all-Big Ten last year and currently is inside the Top 20 of the UTR Sports College Player Rankings. She, too, has honed her game on the UTR PTT, having won a title in Newport in May 2022.
“When I learned that I was selected as a Hurd finalist, I was quite literally speechless, I didn’t know how to react. But I was so excited, so grateful, and honestly one of the happiest moments that I’ve gotten to experience,” she said.
“The $40,000 grant is going to be so influential for my career. It’s going to help me be able to pay for the transition from college to pro, so it will be huge.”
Learn more about the UTR Sports' commitment to college tennis:
- Who's No. 1? View the UTR Sports College Team Rankings
- Colton Smith and Mary Stoiana named 2025 Hurd Award Champions
- UTR Sports College Championship and Universal Tennis Foundation Hurd Award Winners to be Featured at the BNP Paribas Open
- How UTR Rating Works