Hanna’s De Leon gets best of both worlds, signs with UTRGV
By EDWARD SEVERN
Staff Writer
BROWNSVILLE — Brownsville Hanna’s Sofia De Leon signed her letter of intent to join the UTRGV tennis program Thursday.
De Leon had a superb season for the Eagles. The senior won eight tournaments and was District 32-6A’s singles champion, also winning a match at the Region IV tournament.
“I am very excited,” she said. “My family has been waiting for this, so we can finalize all of the hard work that I have done throughout my high school years, and I am finally ready to commit.”
At UTRGV, De Leon will compete in the NCAA Division I Western Athletic Conference and venture as far as Seattle, Washington, during the 2022-2023 season. De Leon spent plenty of time travelling to play tennis during her high school career and is ready to traverse the United States collegiately.
“I did not want to leave,” she said. “I wanted to start relatively close, but still get out. This is a good place to be, and I am excited for it.”
De Leon said she had fun at Hanna and was grateful for her coaches. The District 32-6A champion was proud of the leader she became. Because De Leon traveled to play, she saw how some of the best girls in the state operated and took that back to share with her teammates.
“(De Leon) was on varsity since her freshman year,” Hanna tennis coach Tyrone Powers said. “Very dedicated, works hard. UTRGV is getting a very quality player. Her game is going to go up. I am going to miss her.”
De Leon said the Hanna tennis program accommodated her participation in academic programs. The tennis standout plans on studying biology at UTRGV and will enter the university with an associate degree.
“I want to thank my coaches, my coach from Harlingen (Ramiro Cuevas), my parents and my family,” she said. “They have supported me and were there for me when I had my downfalls, when I cried because I lost matches. They were always there to lift me up.”
De Leon also thanked her friends at Hanna as well as other friends from the Brownsville area that, De Leon said, helped her work to where she wanted to be, signing to play tennis in college.
