University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Welcome Transfer Sofia Pinto for Upcoming Season
7/24/2023 8:12:00 AM | Tennis
University of Minnesota head tennis coach Lois Arterberry makes another addition to the Golden Gophers as rising sophomore Sofia Pinto joins the program. Pinto, of Lisbon, Portugal, is transferring from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Pinto is the second transfer to commit to Minnesota in the past two weeks. She joins Anali Kocevar, who signed on July 13 after a season at Grand Canyon.
"We are elated to have Sofia join our program this fall," said Arterberry. "Sofia is coming with a ton of experience not just from her year spent as a collegiate athlete, but also her accomplishments on the Junior Circuit. Sofia knows what it means to compete at a high level and has a champion's mindset. This past year, she helped her team win the conference title and competed in the NCAA first rounds. She will be a great addition to this program and we are looking forward to seeing her growth in her years here as a Gopher. Welcome to the family Sofia!"
In her first collegiate season on a Southland Conference (SLC) champion Islander team, Pinto played in first doubles and No. 3 singles. She tallied a 15-5 singles record, going 4-3 in SLC play. She also posted a 16-9 doubles record with Naomi Moi McKenzie on court one, tying a team-high in wins. At ITA Regionals in the fall, Pinto reached the round of 32 in the main draw, which was the furthest of any Texas A&M-Corpus Christi student-athlete.
Before her time as an Islander, Pinto attended high school at Colegio Pedro Arrupe. She claimed as high as a 507 ITF Junior ranking, notching an 11-4 ITF Juniors record in 2022. She was the top-ranked U18 player in Portugal, helping Club Internacional de Foot-Ball (CIF) win the National Team's Champion +18/Seniors. She also won eight Tennis Europe Titles and an ITF J3 Junior championship.
"We are elated to have Sofia join our program this fall," said Arterberry. "Sofia is coming with a ton of experience not just from her year spent as a collegiate athlete, but also her accomplishments on the Junior Circuit. Sofia knows what it means to compete at a high level and has a champion's mindset. This past year, she helped her team win the conference title and competed in the NCAA first rounds. She will be a great addition to this program and we are looking forward to seeing her growth in her years here as a Gopher. Welcome to the family Sofia!"
In her first collegiate season on a Southland Conference (SLC) champion Islander team, Pinto played in first doubles and No. 3 singles. She tallied a 15-5 singles record, going 4-3 in SLC play. She also posted a 16-9 doubles record with Naomi Moi McKenzie on court one, tying a team-high in wins. At ITA Regionals in the fall, Pinto reached the round of 32 in the main draw, which was the furthest of any Texas A&M-Corpus Christi student-athlete.
Before her time as an Islander, Pinto attended high school at Colegio Pedro Arrupe. She claimed as high as a 507 ITF Junior ranking, notching an 11-4 ITF Juniors record in 2022. She was the top-ranked U18 player in Portugal, helping Club Internacional de Foot-Ball (CIF) win the National Team's Champion +18/Seniors. She also won eight Tennis Europe Titles and an ITF J3 Junior championship.
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