HighFIVE: Caroline Daugherty

Three-time Colorado High School Player of the Year Caroline Daugherty heading to University of Denver

When Caroline Daugherty won the 5A girl’s singles tennis title at Denver Tennis Park in May, it was a moment that spoke to both the past and the future as she became the first Colorado three-time 5A No. 1 singles champion in more 20 years and did so on the courts where she will start her college career playing for the University of Denver!

She started playing tennis when she was 5 when her family was living in Tulsa. “My parents were part of drill sessions at our local tennis center, and they put me in the little kid’s group and I fell in love with tennis right away” she says. While Caroline tried other sports, she quickly chose to focus on tennis and, when her family moved to Colorado 10 years ago, she made an immediate impact on the tennis scene and hasn’t stopped since. 

Caroline has finished every age group year ranked in the top 6 in Colorado. She is currently No. 2 in singles and No. 1 in doubles in 18s as well as No. 6 in singles and No. 2 in doubles in the Intermountain Section. She has competed all over the country, with highlights being advancing to the round of 16 at the 2025 Easter Bowl and being honored with a USTA National Junior Sportsmanship award following a 2024 tournament in Texas. Caroline has represented the Intermountain Section in various team competitions every year between 2022-25, events which have been some of her favorites.

“I really enjoy playing on these teams because I get to be with some girls who I am really good friends with and it’s a fun environment to share with others”. 

Her love for team competition was only enhanced during her four years at Valor Christian High School.

“It felt great to have others always supporting me and I also really enjoyed getting to cheer my teammates on during their matches” she says.

And there was a lot to cheer for during those four years. Valor made it to the 5A semis every year except one and Caroline made it to the semis of the individual state tournament her freshman year and then won the title every other year. She was also named the Colorado High School Activities Association’s (CHSSA) Player of the Year each of the past three seasons.

“High school tennis was a super amazing experience. Honestly, I was really nervous for my individual finals match and struggled to play at the level I wanted to, so when I won, I was proud of myself for overcoming the nerves I felt and it also felt really great to get to celebrate another title with my teammates.”

When speaking with Caroline, there is a constant thread of how much she loves tennis, but also an obvious joy she gets in finding camaraderie in what can be a lonely sport. While she spends countless hours on the court, it has always been important to her to spend time with her friends.

“Tennis has been a pretty high priority in my life, so I have just had to figure out a balance that works for me that still allows me to do everything I want to outside of tenns.”

Caroline’s decision to attend and play tennis at DU this coming fall seems to be a great fit for all of the things that matter most to her.

“DU is great for me, both academically and athletically. They have a really good business school, which is what I am majoring in, and, on the tennis side of things, I get along really well with all the girls on the team, and I like all the coaches. I have always wanted to play college tennis and I’m most looking forward to being able to continue being part of a team."

This summer, Caroline will prepare for college tennis by putting in time on the court most days with her coach Peter Richman at Advantage You Tennis as well as playing in tournaments.

“Tennis is something that I love to do and if I love something, I want to put in the time and effort to be successful in it. It’s really rewarding to see all the hard work I put in on and off the court pay off in bigger moments during tournaments. I love the competitiveness of it. I have always been a super competitive person, and tennis allows me to add that competitiveness to my life.”

But she will make sure that she spends time with her friends before they head off to different colleges in the fall.

“Tennis usually takes up most of my day, but in the summer, I am done with practice by early afternoon so then I have my nights free to hang out with my friends. I am so grateful that my parents gave me the opportunity to play tennis and have always supported me in a sport that I love so much and that has given me some of my best friends”.

And a fun fact about Caroline – while she is right hand dominant, she plays tennis lefty! 

Colorado is definitely lucky to have had such a balanced player represent the state for so long and her staying here to play college tennis is an added bonus. Caroline is definitely one to watch this coming DU season when she’ll play on the same courts where she had her greatest high school moments.

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