CLAREMONT, Calif. – Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's tennis player Ella Brissett earned the 2024-25 National Women's Sport Student-Athlete of the Year Award from the Division III Commissioner's Association (D3CA), the organization announced this morning.  

The D3CA Student-Athlete of the Year Award recognizes graduating senior athletes, who have demonstrated excellence in athletics, academics, leadership, and service throughout their collegiate careers. Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athlete Honor Society, serves as the presenting sponsor of these awards.

Brissett was a part of two national championship teams with the CMS women's tennis program during her Athena career, providing pivotal roles in both championships. In 2022, she provided the clinching point in the national championship match a straight-set singles victory against the University of Chicago, after a 6-0, 6-0 win over Wesleyan in the semifinals.

In 2023, Brissett had the pivotal win in the repeat championship for the Athenas, coming back for a three-set win for the clinching point in a 5-4 win over Pomona-Pitzer in the regional finals, after also having a key comeback win in doubles. During her career, she was a two-time All-American and a three-time All-SCIAC selection. 

In addition to her athletic accolades, Brissett graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a 3.96 grade point average as a biology major with a sequence in gender and sexuality studies, while earning Phi Beta Kappa honors and earning the Best Thesis in Gender Studies Award from CMC. Her academic pursuits have extended beyond campus as well, conducting neurobiology research into degenerative diseases as a Caltech Amgen Scholar, completing a clinical research internship in oral imaging, and already authoring five peer-reviewed publications in print.

Brissett's leadership had a tremendous impact in the CMS community and beyond. As a sophomore, she founded the Women's Empowerment in Sports Club (WEIS), which aims to build bridges between female student-athletes both on her campus and the broader community. Brissett and other WEIS members organized alumni panels and National Girls and Women in Sports Day activities aimed at empowering young girls.

On campus, Brissett has been a college peer mentor for Women in STEM, a CMS Title IX Peer leader leading workshops on sexual violence prevention, a Diversity Equity and Inclusion Intern with the Keck Science Department, and a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Representative. Off campus, she has volunteered with the House of Ruth, as a youth engagement volunteer at elementary schools, and as a triage assistant at a free women's health clinic.

"Here, we push the boundaries of the student-athlete ideal," said Claremont McKenna President Hiram Chodosh. "We pursue the triple threat: scholar-leader-athlete.  Ella busts through the walls of each dimension and cracks through the ceiling of our highest expectations. Prolific scholar, impactful leader, All-American athlete. Ella's example amplifies our commitments and proves the possible."

Brissett adds the D3CA Student-Athlete of the Year honor to a growing list of accolades which she has earned since her graduation. Her leadership and service helped her earn the prestigious Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), which is given to one tennis student-athlete (male or female) from all three NCAA divisions. She also won the ITA Division III National Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award, the SCIAC Character Award, and is one of the SCIAC's two nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. 

Brissett plans to continue her studies in pursuit of becoming a physician, where she hopes to continue advancing women's health and advocating for equitable care.

"I am incredibly grateful and honored to receive the 2025 DIII Commissioner's Association National Student-Athlete of the Year Award," said Brissett. "Competing for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps as an Athena has profoundly shaped me in so many ways that extend beyond athletics. It has instilled resilience, fostered lifelong friendships, and provided opportunities for leadership and service within my community. I want to thank the leaders, coaches, professors, and mentors at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps who fostered a supportive environment that allowed me and so many others to thrive as student-athletes. Their guidance has made a lasting impact and provided invaluable models of leadership and service that I hope to carry forward.

"Whether mentoring younger athletes or advocating for equity in sports, I have seen firsthand the positive impact that collegiate athletics can have beyond the court. I am thankful for the experiences, relationships, and mentorship that collegiate athletics have brought into my life, and I look forward to continuing to uplift others."

To view the D3CA release on Brissett and Men's Sport Student-Athlete of the Year Tate Ivanyo of Anderson University, go to the following link:

D3CA Student-Athletes of the Year