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APRIL 2022 27 Her parents, Luz Marina Sanchez and Jhon Fredy Munera, wanted a young Sofia to do something active as well, so tennis was one of several sports she began to play. In 2007, the trio traveled to New York to at- tend the U.S. Open as guests of one of her mother's best friends. It was an eye-opening experience. "When I walked in there and saw all the players in the stadium and on the courts, I just fell in love with the sport," Munera said. "One of the first players I saw was at a prac- tice. It wasn't even anything crazy. It was just a practice, but it was Venus Williams and I was just super amazed. "The outfits used to be so cool and I just loved them. I was watching Rafa Nadal later in the trip playing at Arthur Ashe in a night match. I don't even remember whom he was playing, but I watched him and I was like, 'I have to be there. I want to be there. I want to do what they do.' "So right after I got back from the U.S. Open, I think I was in ballet and some other things and I was like, 'OK, let's drop all of that. I want to play tennis.' I played my first tournament when I was 11, and I started doing well pretty quickly." Munera was ranked as the No. 1 player in Colombia in the 12-year-old age bracket and kept that top ranking in 14's, 16's and 18's. As a 14-year-old, she was the top- ranked player on the continent. With her quick rise through the ranks, it became apparent to her coach that Munera needed more guidance than he could give her, so she began training in the United States. She went to Boston and later to Florida to train at various clubs and acad- emies, but the whole time, she was still rooted in Colombia. "I started traveling when I was 14, but it was very off and on," she said. "When you're playing, it ebbs. You go to tournaments for two months, then come back and practice and then maybe go back home for a couple of weeks and leave again." Unlike most elite tennis players, however, Munera did not go to online school. She continued to study at Liceo Pino Verde, a private high school in her hometown. "The director at the school had a great relationship with my parents, and they were just willing to do whatever for me to be able to keep studying," Munera said. "They didn't have an online platform, but they were try- ing to experiment and try that with me. "Every time I would go back home, I would go to school, but they also emailed me assignments. It was definitely a team effort." Much like her dive into junior tennis, Munera's foray into collegiate tennis also had quick success, this time in doubles. As a first-year, she rose to a top-10 national ranking while partnering with Meghan Kel- ley, with the two of them winning an ITA Regional title and raising the consolation trophy at the ITA Fall National Champion- ships. At the end of the spring season, they earned an invitation to the NCAA Doubles Championship. Even with those early accomplishments, Munera never dreamed of having the suc- cess that last season brought. Last year, she and three other teammates became the first to advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship, a finish that earned her All-America status. Her name is embla- zoned on a banner hanging above doubles court three at the Boar's Head. "I think it's so crazy when I walk past and I see my name up there," she said. "I remember when I first got here, I would look at those banners and think that's really cool. I never thought maybe my name could be up there. So it's definitely a really cool experience. "And that I did that with [doubles partner] Natasha [Subhash], that was just amazing. It was just great playing with her. We both got along really well. We were just having fun on the court, and then the results came to us." Munera entered her final season with a No. 4 national ranking in doubles and the chance to continue to leave a mark on the program. There's also still room on the ban- ners on the wall to literally further leave her mark as well. " I think it's so crazy when I walk past and I see my name up there. I remember when I first got here I would look at those banners and think that's really cool. I never thought maybe my name could be up there. " MUNERA ON HER ALL-AMERICA BANNER HANGING ABOVE THE DOUBLES COURT AT BOAR'S HEAD Munera entered her fourth-year season at Virginia with a No. 4 national ranking in doubles. (Photo by Matt Riley/courtesy UVA)