KALAMAZOO, MI – In just her second collegiate event, Kenyon first-year Lora Szabo (Pakozd, Hungary/Zöldliget Hungarian-English) worked her way through a 128-player field to finish as the runner-up at the 2026 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) DIII Women's Central Regional Championship, earning a spot at the ITA Cup, which is scheduled for October 15-18, 2026, at the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, GA.

After receiving a first-round bye, the No. 17 seed picked up five wins in the singles championship, defeating Ana Clara Pizaia Ornellas of Calvin (6-3, 6-1), No. 9 seed Shayli Dodia of Case Western (7-5, 7-6 (9-7)), No. 3 seed Jane Wong of UChicago (6-4, 6-4), No. 5 seed Leila Epstein of WashU (6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 10-4), and No. 1 seed Sarena Biria of UChicago (6-1, 7-6 (7-5)). Biria went 28-11 last season and was ranked the No. 2 singles player in Division III.

In Monday's championship match, Szabo fell 6-0, 6-1 to No. 7 seed Caitlin Bui of WashU, who was ranked No. 20 nationally in singles last season. With her runner-up finish, Szabo earned a spot at the ITA Cup, where a first-round victory would secure All-American status.