Sophia Felderman '24 Recruiting Profile

Hi, my name is Sophia Felderman.  I am entering my senior year at Mandan High School in Mandan, North Dakota.  I am extremely motivated to earn a women's tennis scholarship. I started playing tennis at the age of 5 and entered my first tournament at the age of 8.  Tennis has always been an important part of my life and I hope I can continue to play throughout college. 

My high school coaches always started the season with a list of our expectations and priorities. The first priority was always family. The second was school and lastly extracurricular activities, including sports. I plan to follow this list of priorities as I enter college.  My goal is to complete my college degree successfully and work hard to meet my career aspirations. I would like to accomplish this goal, while also playing college tennis and being part of a committed team.

This past year, I won the North Dakota Singles Region and State Championships. I spent countless hours on the tennis courts playing matches, taking lessons, and even teaching others to play with the goal of becoming the best I possibly could.  I got up at 5:30 a.m. in North Dakota below zero weather to play as many people of various ages and skill levels. Not only did this help me to hone my tennis skills, but it showed me the importance of being part of a larger tennis community. My individual success on the court and off has only been accomplished through the support and dedication of my family, coaches, classmates, and teammates. As team captain, my goals for this year are to not only become more skilled as an individual tennis player, but also to be a respected role model, team player, and  inspire others to achieve success.

In addition to my individual success, I have played on a very successful, undefeated state championship team (2021). I was fortunate to have teammates that were very talented and inspiring.  The last two years my team has been much less successful with very young, inexperienced players.  Although every athlete strives to win and be part of a team with a winning tradition, I have learned much more about myself as a person and teammate these last two years. I have learned that it is more important to learn something from every match, always work hard, and win or lose with grace. These are the skills that will carry me through college, tennis, and life. These skills and dedication would make me a great addition to your team. 

Thank you for your time and consideration.