Olivia Center (left) and Kate Fakih
Photo by: Mac Brown
Center, Fakih to Represent USA at World University Games
June 11, 2025 | Women's Tennis
DALLAS โ Standouts from SMU, UCLA, Stanford and Harvard comprise the USA Team tennis contingent set to take on the 2025 World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany.
The FISU World University Summer Games is the world's second-largest Olympic sports event, behind only the Olympic Games, and showcases top collegiate athletes from across the globe.
Held every two years in different cities around the world, it brings together thousands of athletes from over 150 countries and features a program that includes 25 compulsory sports (15 summer and 10 winter).
The international event commences with the opening ceremony July 16. Tennis matches will begin the following day and will be held at ETUF Tennisanlage in the city of Essen, Germany, on July 17-26.
SMU's Jerry Barton and Trevor Svajda will represent the Mustangs on the world stage. They will be joined by ACC Champion Nico Godsick from Stanford, UCLA's Kate Fakih and Olivia Center and Harvard's Natalie Block.
Barton primarily played as the No. 2 singles player for SMU in the 2024-25 season. He went 11-15 through the year with a 10-14 record in dual matches.
"It is a dream come true to have the chance to represent our country at the international level. I look forward to wearing the Stars & Stripes and representing Team USA in Dusseldorf," said Barton.
The Dallas native was ranked as high as No. 94 and notably clinched SMU's win against Florida with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory over No. 54 Jeremy Jin.
Svajda was SMU's No. 1 player in the 2024-25 season with a 19-12 overall singles record and 11-7 in dual matches. He posted a career-high ranked win against the No. 9 Carl Emil Overbeck from California (6-1, 6-1). In the fall, Svajda made the round of 32 at the NCAA Individual Championships in singles and was ranked No. 19. He was ranked as high as No. 44 in the spring.
UCLA's All-American doubles tandem, Olivia Center and Kate Fakih was selected to represent the US in Germany after posting a 31-9 record as freshmen in the 2024-25 season. The pair collected 13 wins over ranked opponents, including a 2-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-6) win over the No. 5-ranked pair from Wisconsin (Alina Mukhortova/Maria Sholokhova) on its way to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships doubles tournament.
Center and Fakih climbed to No. 2 in the ITA doubles rankings and finished at No. 13 as UCLA reached the NCAA Championship Super Regionals before losing to the No. 2 Seed Texas A&M (2-4).
"I am so honored to be selected to compete at the Summer World University Games. So many Bruins have created positive memories, and I look forward to the once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Center.
Stanford's Godsick posted a 16-6 overall singles record and an 8-3 doubles record when paired with Hudson Rivera. He and Rivera primarily played as the No. 1 doubles pair for the Cardinal, collecting a record of 5-2.
The tandem of Godsick and Rivera was ranked No. 31 on the final ITA rankings as they helped Stanford win the ACC Championship in its first season. Stanford fell in the NCAA Championship semifinals to the eventual champion No. 1 Wake Forest.
"I am elated to head to Germany this July and represent USA at World University Games. Coach Goldstein won the gold medal in doubles (at the games) when he was in college and I embrace the opportunity to fight for a medal as well," said Godsick.
Natalie Block is part of Harvard's Ivy League 2025 championship team. The junior collected a 10-9 singles record in the 2024-25 season and a 12-7 doubles record.
Block is primarily paired with Maxi Duncan in doubles, where they posted an 8-6 record through the season.
"We're proud of Natalie for earning this opportunity to represent Team USA at the World University Games. We're excited to see her compete and know she'll make us proud," said Harvard Women's Tennis Head Coach Traci Green.
SMU Head Coach Grant Chen will lead the Team USA Tennis contingent at the World University Games. Chen previously led Team USA in the 2017 World University Games, winning the bronze medal in the mixed doubles in Taipei, Taiwan.
"Tennis is such a global sport. I am proud to take these six athletes overseas and represent our country in an international competition. We have a balanced team from around the country who have all played elite-level tennis at every level of the game. FISU does a remarkable job hosting this event and we are thrilled to be a part of the World University Games in Dusseldorf," said Chen.
SMU athletic trainer Hannah Letow will also make the trip to Germany for off-court support staff.
In 2023, UCLA had two players selected in the Team USA tennis contingent while SMU had four. The Bears' Kimmi Hance and Elise Wagle were joined by Callaway Clark, Louis Cloud, Liam Krall and Taylor Johnson on their trip to Chengdu, China.
UCLA Associate Head Coach Rance Brown led the tennis contingent in 2023.
The UniUSA delegation heading to Germany will comprise of over 500 athletes, coaches and staff across 19 sports.
Live coverage of the games will be on FISU.tv and daily updates will be available on rhineruhr2025.com/en. Updates on the UniUSA delegation is available on the following platforms:
Website: usateam.org
Facebook: @wugusa (Note: Other similar names belong to different entities)
X: @usauniteam (UniUSA)
Instagram: @usauniteam (USAUniversityTeam)
The FISU World University Summer Games is the world's second-largest Olympic sports event, behind only the Olympic Games, and showcases top collegiate athletes from across the globe.
Held every two years in different cities around the world, it brings together thousands of athletes from over 150 countries and features a program that includes 25 compulsory sports (15 summer and 10 winter).
The international event commences with the opening ceremony July 16. Tennis matches will begin the following day and will be held at ETUF Tennisanlage in the city of Essen, Germany, on July 17-26.
SMU's Jerry Barton and Trevor Svajda will represent the Mustangs on the world stage. They will be joined by ACC Champion Nico Godsick from Stanford, UCLA's Kate Fakih and Olivia Center and Harvard's Natalie Block.
Barton primarily played as the No. 2 singles player for SMU in the 2024-25 season. He went 11-15 through the year with a 10-14 record in dual matches.
"It is a dream come true to have the chance to represent our country at the international level. I look forward to wearing the Stars & Stripes and representing Team USA in Dusseldorf," said Barton.
The Dallas native was ranked as high as No. 94 and notably clinched SMU's win against Florida with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory over No. 54 Jeremy Jin.
Svajda was SMU's No. 1 player in the 2024-25 season with a 19-12 overall singles record and 11-7 in dual matches. He posted a career-high ranked win against the No. 9 Carl Emil Overbeck from California (6-1, 6-1). In the fall, Svajda made the round of 32 at the NCAA Individual Championships in singles and was ranked No. 19. He was ranked as high as No. 44 in the spring.
UCLA's All-American doubles tandem, Olivia Center and Kate Fakih was selected to represent the US in Germany after posting a 31-9 record as freshmen in the 2024-25 season. The pair collected 13 wins over ranked opponents, including a 2-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-6) win over the No. 5-ranked pair from Wisconsin (Alina Mukhortova/Maria Sholokhova) on its way to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships doubles tournament.
Center and Fakih climbed to No. 2 in the ITA doubles rankings and finished at No. 13 as UCLA reached the NCAA Championship Super Regionals before losing to the No. 2 Seed Texas A&M (2-4).
"I am so honored to be selected to compete at the Summer World University Games. So many Bruins have created positive memories, and I look forward to the once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Center.
Stanford's Godsick posted a 16-6 overall singles record and an 8-3 doubles record when paired with Hudson Rivera. He and Rivera primarily played as the No. 1 doubles pair for the Cardinal, collecting a record of 5-2.
The tandem of Godsick and Rivera was ranked No. 31 on the final ITA rankings as they helped Stanford win the ACC Championship in its first season. Stanford fell in the NCAA Championship semifinals to the eventual champion No. 1 Wake Forest.
"I am elated to head to Germany this July and represent USA at World University Games. Coach Goldstein won the gold medal in doubles (at the games) when he was in college and I embrace the opportunity to fight for a medal as well," said Godsick.
Natalie Block is part of Harvard's Ivy League 2025 championship team. The junior collected a 10-9 singles record in the 2024-25 season and a 12-7 doubles record.
Block is primarily paired with Maxi Duncan in doubles, where they posted an 8-6 record through the season.
"We're proud of Natalie for earning this opportunity to represent Team USA at the World University Games. We're excited to see her compete and know she'll make us proud," said Harvard Women's Tennis Head Coach Traci Green.
SMU Head Coach Grant Chen will lead the Team USA Tennis contingent at the World University Games. Chen previously led Team USA in the 2017 World University Games, winning the bronze medal in the mixed doubles in Taipei, Taiwan.
"Tennis is such a global sport. I am proud to take these six athletes overseas and represent our country in an international competition. We have a balanced team from around the country who have all played elite-level tennis at every level of the game. FISU does a remarkable job hosting this event and we are thrilled to be a part of the World University Games in Dusseldorf," said Chen.
SMU athletic trainer Hannah Letow will also make the trip to Germany for off-court support staff.
In 2023, UCLA had two players selected in the Team USA tennis contingent while SMU had four. The Bears' Kimmi Hance and Elise Wagle were joined by Callaway Clark, Louis Cloud, Liam Krall and Taylor Johnson on their trip to Chengdu, China.
UCLA Associate Head Coach Rance Brown led the tennis contingent in 2023.
The UniUSA delegation heading to Germany will comprise of over 500 athletes, coaches and staff across 19 sports.
Live coverage of the games will be on FISU.tv and daily updates will be available on rhineruhr2025.com/en. Updates on the UniUSA delegation is available on the following platforms:
Website: usateam.org
Facebook: @wugusa (Note: Other similar names belong to different entities)
X: @usauniteam (UniUSA)
Instagram: @usauniteam (USAUniversityTeam)
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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