FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) has announced the 2026 women's tennis end of year awards with two student-athletes representing Trine University. Senior Alexis Maloney took home the Karen Caine Award while classmate Elina Locane was named to first team All-MIAA.

Maloney, a native of St. John's Mich., becomes the fourth individual to win the Karen Caine Award for Trine. The award honors a senior women's tennis player who has lettered for at least two years while demonstrating outstanding academic and athletic achievement. The award is named in honor of Karen Caine, former long-time women's tennis coach at Adrian College.

A Business Management major with a Marketing minor, Maloney finished her undergraduate degree with a 3.8 GPA. She also finished an MBA where she finished with a perfect 4.0. On the court, she ranks eighth all-time in singles wins at Trine with a 45-28 record and holds the program record for doubles victories with a 58-20 career mark, largely competing at the No. 1 doubles position. She is a three-time MIAA and Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athlete, earned Dean's List or President's List recognition every semester, and was named MIAA Athlete of the Week during her career.

Maloney's leadership extends far beyond tennis. A three-year team captain, she serves as President of Trine's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, where she has built partnerships with the Steuben County Special Olympics and organized numerous service initiatives. She also serves as Vice President of the MIAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, further expanding her influence and advocacy at the conference level.

Locane, a native of Riga, Latvia, makes her third appearance on an All-MIAA team, her first on the first team. She becomes just the third women's tennis player at trine to earn three All-MIAA awards. Locane served as the top player for the Thunder this season, in both singles and doubles matches. She went 18-3 overall in singles while finishing the MIAA season 4-3. In doubles, along with Maloney, she went 18-3 overall and 5-2 in MIAA play.

Trine finished the regular season 4-4 in MIAA play, good enough for fifth in the conference standings. They dropped their opening round contest in the MIAA Tournament presented by Collegiate Credit Union to finish the season with a 16-6 overall record.