University of Minnesota Athletics
Photo by: Craig Lassig
10/28/2026 2:49:00 PM | Tennis
MINNEAPOLIS - University of Minnesota tennis student-athlete Massiva Boukirat (Paris, France) has earned a spot at the 2026 ITA Central Sectional Championship, Nov. 5-8 in Fort Worth, Texas. Boukirat will compete in singles play.
The ITA Central Sectional Championship will have a draw size of 32 in the singles main draw. From this, six singles players will have the opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship, Nov. 17-22 in Athens, Ga. Those six players include the four singles semifinalists and two winners of the quarterfinal playoffs.
Boukirat is the first Gopher to compete in the ITA Central Sectional Championship since its inception in 2024. Should Boukirat advance to the NCAA Singles Championship, she would be the first Gopher since Angela Buergis in 2004 to do so. Minnesota has previously sent four Gophers to the NCAA Singles Championship. Prior to Buergis, Nora Sauska also achieved the feat in 1997. Both Buergis and Sauska lost in the first round. In 2024, the NCAA singles and doubles championship moved from the spring season to the fall season in a two-year pilot program, and became a permanent fall championship in April 2026. Team championships will continue in the spring season.
The ITA Central Sectional Championship will have a draw size of 32 in the singles main draw. From this, six singles players will have the opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship, Nov. 17-22 in Athens, Ga. Those six players include the four singles semifinalists and two winners of the quarterfinal playoffs.
Boukirat is the first Gopher to compete in the ITA Central Sectional Championship since its inception in 2024. Should Boukirat advance to the NCAA Singles Championship, she would be the first Gopher since Angela Buergis in 2004 to do so. Minnesota has previously sent four Gophers to the NCAA Singles Championship. Prior to Buergis, Nora Sauska also achieved the feat in 1997. Both Buergis and Sauska lost in the first round. In 2024, the NCAA singles and doubles championship moved from the spring season to the fall season in a two-year pilot program, and became a permanent fall championship in April 2026. Team championships will continue in the spring season.
Players Mentioned
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