By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
As a freshman in 2023, Reese Brantmeier was the No. 1 individual player on the University of North Carolina team that won the NCAA team title at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida. Four years later, as a senior at the same USTA National Campus, Brantmeier was the No. 1 player in the NCAA Women’s Individual Championship and the last player standing as the tournament champion.
Brantmeier became North Carolina’s second-ever NCAA singles champion by defeating Berta Passola Folch of California-Berkeley 6-3, 6-3 to win the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Singles Championship.
“It was a pretty cool circle,” Brantmeier said of her team and individual NCAA titles at the USTA National Campus during her four-year tenure.
Additionally, the USTA National Campus was also where Brantmeier completed his youth player training before enrolling at North Carolina. Brantmeier was one of America’s top young players and was invited by the USTA’s player development program to stay on campus and train because her hometown of Whitewater, Wisconsin, was not conducive to high-performance training, especially in the winter months.
“I have had the opportunity to coach at Player Development for many years, so I am no stranger to Lake Nona,” she said. “I’m lucky to have this experience here. I think it definitely helped me feel comfortable on these courts.”
However, the dishes at the USTA National Campus may not be some of Brantmeier’s most endearing dishes. That distinction may go to the public tennis courts in her hometown of Whitewash, Wisconsin, which she personally raised nearly $200,000 to renovate after years of neglect.
“We had our grand opening last July,” said Brantmeier, who said she is still in the process of fundraising to help the city have enough money for future court maintenance. “The high school teams trained there, all the locals trained there. They’re open to the public 24 hours a day and we have a free racket and ball rental system at all the local schools and public libraries. So it was just our goal to make tennis for everyone and there shouldn’t be a financial barrier if someone wants to play, they should have the opportunity. And that was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life and just being able to see that.” The pure joy of sport also reconnected me with it.”
Brantmeier’s NCAA singles title is a milestone for UNC’s women’s tennis program as she became just the second Tar Heel in history to win the NCAA singles title, joining Jamie Loeb in 2015. In addition to her NCAA team title in 2023 and her individual title in 2025, Brantmeier’s college career was highlighted by a number of awards: 2025 ACC Player of the Year, first-team All-ACC in singles and doubles, All-American in both disciplines. She also holds the title of ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, demonstrating her ability to excel both in the classroom and on the field. After winning her NCAA title, she actually had to rush to the airport to catch a flight back to North Carolina so she could take an exam at 8 a.m. the next morning.
However, her career was far from all rosy as she endured numerous surgeries on her leg during her sophomore and junior year, which prevented her from competing in the NCAA singles or doubles competitions. Entering this NCAA singles competition, she had not won a single NCAA singles match of the singles championships, having lost in the first round of the event as a freshman in 2023.
On a broader level, Brantmeier has also been an outspoken voice off the court, as she is part of a class-action lawsuit challenging NCAA rules on prize money, a battle she has fought alongside her playing career.