Nova Southeastern’s Kristyna Hranacova Named SSC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Hranacova becomes first Shark to ever win the league’s highest academic honor.
A.J. Vazquez, Communications Contractor
ORLANDO, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University’s Kristyna Hranacova collects the 2025-26 Sunshine State Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor. The Sharks tennis student-athlete earned a 3.98 grade-point average while majoring in business management.
The SSC began awarding Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year during its 20th anniversary in the 1995-96 academic year. For the past 30 years, the conference’s most prestigious academic honor has recognized student-athletes who have distinguished themselves both in competition and in the classroom.
The SSC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is voted on by athletics directors, senior woman administrators, athletic communication directors and faculty athletic representatives from each of the 11 SSC member institutions.
A native of Most, Czech Republic, Hranacova earned First Team Academic All-America honors from College Sports Communicators while also being named to Nova Southeastern’s Fall Dean’s List and recognized as an NSU Director's Board Honoree. Hranacova is also a member of the prestigious Chi Alpha Sigma honor society, which recognizes the combination of athletic and academic success.
Hranacova capped off the 2026 season on the highest possible note, playing a key role in leading the Sharks to their second national championship in three years. She also finished the season with the No. 1 national ranking in both singles and doubles according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, becoming the first NCAA Division II student-athlete to hold the top ranking in both since 2017 and the first to do so while winning a national championship in the same season since 2000. She earned All-SSC First Team and ITA All-America honors in both singles and doubles.
Hranacova also serves on Nova Southeastern’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Hranacova is the first Shark to win the SSC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. She is the eighth women's tennis student-athlete to earn the honor since its inception in 1995.
Complete Listing: SSC Scholar-Athletes of the Year
About the SSC:
Founded in 1975, Sunshine State Conference member institutions have won a total of 144 NCAA national championships across 15 sports and boast an NCAA Division II leading 89% Academic Success Rate. In 2025-26, the SSC marks its 50th anniversary, reflecting on a proud history of athletic and academic excellence.