True North’s Chow and Palmetto’s Sorrentino are the Dade Tennis Players of the Year
Miami Palmetto tennis standout Mia Sorrentino learned a lot about perseverance this past season.
The lessons were about learning not to quit on a match even when she was down.
But an even greater lesson came at the end of her season, which was cut short by a knee injury in the regional finals.
“I learned a lot about having patience,” Sorrentino said. “No matter how far down or how badly I’m losing, I can come back to win a match. I knew I had the support of my teammates and that helped me lock in and pull out a match.”
True North senior Brennon Chow also dealt with some adversity when he did not have the finish he hoped for at state.
But Chow, one of the top 50 ranked players in the nation his age group, kept his focus and is poised for the next step in his career.
Sorrentino and Chow, two of the county’s most accomplished tennis stars, are this year’s Miami-Dade County Tennis Players of the Year.
Sorrentino, who has signed to play at Babson College in Boston, was unbeaten this season, leading Palmetto to a GMAC and district championship. She was leading her match in the Class 4A regional finals against Doral when she suffered the injury that forced her to withdraw.
The Panthers went on to win the match as a team and advance to state. But without Sorrentino at the top of their lineup, Palmetto was unable to retain the winning formula that had it on a potential path to a repeat state title. The Panthers lost 4-2 in the state semifinals to eventual state champion Tampa Steinbrenner.
“I thought I was playing some of the best tennis I had in a long time,” said Sorrentino, who grew up a soccer player before focusing on tennis. “Even though I can’t play how I used to, I’m focusing on things I can do to get back to playing as soon as possible. I’m really focusing on physical therapy and getting better for the future. I’m already thinking about all the small things I can do to keep myself healthy and I’m really motivated to get back.”
Chow, who has offers from Air Force, FSU, Penn State and Richmond, is the Player of the Year on the boys’ side for the second consecutive season after helping the Titans advance to the state finals before losing to Boca Raton St. Andrews. Chow, a two-time state doubles champion and singles runner-up in 2023, advanced to the state semifinals in 1A in singles and was a state runner-up in doubles with his brother, Caleb, a sophomore.
Chow, who was back playing immediately after state, is ranked 41st in the nation by Tennis Recruiting among seniors.
“It’s always good to get this award,” Chow said. “It means a lot to me and shows my work paid off. This season could have been better, but I still can improve. We have a young team at True North. All of them are sophomores and it’ll be exciting to see how good they can be.”
