UNC’s Reese Brantmeier Settles NCAA Lawsuit, Lifting Prize Money Restrictions

The NCAA has settled a lawsuit filed by UNC women’s tennis star Reese Brantmeier which took issue with the organization’s restrictions on student-athletes accepting prize money in non-NCAA events before enrolling in college.

Under the terms of the settlement, the Associated Press reports the NCAA will pay more than $2 million in damages to both Brantmeier, currently in her senior season at UNC, and former Texas tennis player Maya Joint. The AP also reports the elimination of prize money restrictions will apply to student-athletes in all sports, not just tennis.

Brantmeier originally filed her complaint in March of 2024, accusing the NCAA of being in violation of antitrust laws. Brantmeier had competed in the 2021 U.S. Open as a high schooler but was only allowed to keep $10,000 of her prize money, which was substantially more.

Brantmeier has distinguished herself as one of the most accomplished players in the history of the UNC women’s tennis program. She was recently named ACC Player of the Year for a second consecutive season and won the 2025 NCAA Singles championship last November, becoming only the second Tar Heel in history to do so. As a freshman in 2023, Brantmeier helped UNC win its first ever NCAA team title. This season, she is 15-2 in singles and 19-4 in doubles.

Brantmeier’s lawsuit is not the first time a UNC women’s tennis star has been at odds with the NCAA over prize money. In 2023, Fiona Crawley qualified for the U.S. Open in both the singles and doubles draws but was forced to turn down most of her $81,000 in winnings in order to stay within NCAA rules and be eligible for UNC’s upcoming season. A digital platform known as myNILpay eventually began a grassroots effort to accept donations from UNC fans and alumni to Crawley in order to recoup her losses. Crawley, who had won National Player of the Year honors the previous season, graduated in 2024.

Brantmeier and the UNC women’s tennis team are set to begin NCAA Tournament play at the Chewning Tennis Center in Chapel Hill this weekend. The Tar Heels are the No. 5 overall seed in the field and will host Charleston Southern in the tournament’s first round Friday at 4 p.m.

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

‹

Women's Tennis: Daavettila, Morra Each Advance to NCAA Singles Tournament Quarterfinals

A pair of Tar Heels advanced Wednesday to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles Tournament, as junior Sara Daavettila and freshman Cameron Morra each managed to stay alive. Daavettila defeated San Diego’s Solymar Colling in straight sets (6-3, 6-3) to advance, while Morra knocked off Elysia Bolton from UCLA in a thrilling three-set […]

Women's Tennis: Five UNC Players Selected for NCAA Singles/Doubles Championships

Brackets for the upcoming NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship Tournaments were revealed on Wednesday, with five UNC women selected to participate in the events–which will run from May 20-25 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida. Juniors Makenna Jones and Alexa Graham are seeded fifth and seventh, respectively, in the 64-player singles draw, which will […]

Makenna Jones Named ITA Carolina Region Player to Watch

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced Monday that UNC sophomore Makenna Jones has been named the organization’s Carolina Region Player to Watch for the 2017-18 season. Jones has put together an astonishing 34-4 record in singles competition this season, while posting a perfect 12-0 record on Court One during many of the season’s most important matches. […]

Five UNC Women's Tennis Players to Compete in NCAA Singles and Doubles Tournaments

The UNC women’s tennis team will have five players representing the Tar Heels in the upcoming NCAA Division I Singles and Doubles Tournaments, which will be held in Winston Salem from May 23-28. Sophomore Makenna Jones–the MVP of last week’s ACC Tournamnet–earned the No. 2 overall seed in the singles draw, while Sara Daavettila and […]

UNC Women's Tennis Falls to No. 4 Texas A&M in NCAA Quarterfinals

The UNC women’s tennis season came to an end Friday night in Georgia, as the No. 5 overall seed Tar Heels fell to No. 4 Texas A&M 4-3 in the NCAA quarterfinals. Carolina took an early lead in what proved to be a back-and-forth match, winning the doubles point thanks to victories on No. 2 […]

UNC Women's Tennis Advances Past No. 12 Michigan into NCAA Quarterfinals

No. 5 overall seed UNC fought off a stern challenge from No. 12 Michigan in the NCAA Tournament’s Super Regional round Friday in Chapel Hill, defeating the Wolverines 4-2 to advance to the national quarterfinals in Georgia next week. Heels are 𝙀𝙇𝙄𝙏𝙀! For the second straight season, we're headed to the Elite Eight🙌#GoHeels x @WellsFargo […]

Multiple UNC Teams Post Perfect Academic Progress Rates, New Report Says

Several UNC sports programs posted perfect single-year and multi-year academic progress rates for the 2024-25 academic year, according to the NCAA’s latest report. Academic progress rate (APR) is used to track performance of scholarship students who compete on varsity teams, and the score measures eligibility and retention each semester. A perfect score is 1000, and […]

UNC Women's Tennis Sweeps South Carolina, Advances to NCAA Super Regionals

UNC beat South Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday at the Chewning Tennis Center to advance to the tournament’s Super Regional round. It’s the 16th consecutive tournament in which the Tar Heels have advanced to the Super Regionals. Heels are headed to Supers‼️#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/Z7SsPWUFqc — Carolina Women's Tennis 🐏🎾 […]

UNC Women Win, Men Lose in 1st Round of NCAA Tennis Tournament

Both the UNC men’s and women’s tennis teams were in action in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday. The women won their opening-round match against Charleston Southern, while men fell to Michigan State and saw their season come to an end. The women, playing as the No. 5 overall seed in the field, […]

UNC's Reese Brantmeier Settles NCAA Lawsuit, Lifting Prize Money Restrictions

The NCAA has settled a lawsuit filed by UNC women’s tennis star Reese Brantmeier which took issue with the organization’s restrictions on student-athletes accepting prize money in non-NCAA events before enrolling in college. Under the terms of the settlement, the Associated Press reports the NCAA will pay more than $2 million in damages to both […]

›