Texas A&M women’s tennis has become the premier athletic force in Aggieland, and the numbers leave no room for debate. Over the last three seasons, the Aggies have captured two national championships, finished as national runner‑up, and extended their dominance with five straight SEC regular‑season titles. The engine behind that sustained excellence has been head coach Mark Weaver, along with two cornerstone players. Junior Lucciana Perez and senior Mia Kupres.
All three were honored this week with major Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) awards, underscoring just how central they were to A&M’s championship run.
After earning the ITA Texas Regional Coach of the Year, Weaver was named the ITA National Coach of the Year for the first time in his career, an honor that felt overdue. The 2026 season was loaded with elite teams, and the Aggies, while highly ranked, were not projected to win the national title. Losing Mary Stoiana to graduation and seeing Nicole Khirin go down with an injury only added to the skepticism.
Instead, A&M responded by winning yet another SEC regular‑season crown and defeating three top‑five opponents in the NCAA Tournament, including No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Auburn, both teams that had beaten the Aggies earlier in the year. Weaver’s leadership has turned the program into a national powerhouse. Now, all that’s missing is the upgraded facility he has unquestionably earned.
Perez matched her coach’s sweep of regional and national honors. Earlier this month, she claimed the ITA Texas Regional Most Improved Player and Player to Watch awards. On Tuesday, she added the biggest one yet. ITA National Player of the Year.
Frankly, it was inevitable. Perez already secured the Honda Sports Award, was named SEC Player of the Year, and finished the season as the No. 1 singles player in the ITA rankings. Her undefeated 28–0 singles record included wins over seven top‑10 opponents, cementing her place among the greatest players in Texas A&M history.
Kupres, the steadying veteran presence of the roster, capped her career with a well‑deserved honor of her own: ITA Texas Regional Senior of the Year. Despite battling injuries, she posted a 17–10 singles record, finished inside the top 30, and collected victories over five top‑25 opponents.
Her versatility in both singles and doubles and her leadership through a challenging season made her one of the program’s most valuable glue players. For Kupres, a national title and regional recognition is the perfect ending to a standout Aggie career.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Weaver, Perez, Kupres Earn Major ITA Awards for Aggies
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