Walk by the office of Dr. Sofia Hiort-Wright and most likely there are student-athletes in it getting academic guidance and life advice. During her tenure, VCU coaches have regularly sung the praises of Dr. Hiort-Wright for her ability to relate to the student-athletes and help them reach their academic goals.
The numbers back up that statement as the 300+ student-athletes at VCU have posted record-breaking academic numbers in recent years, including overall GPA and graduation rates. Dr. Hiort-Wright knows the VCU way well as she spent four years as a member of the women’s tennis program before joining the department staff full-time in 2002. Since then, she has worked her way up to her current title, Deputy Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator.
Dr. Hiort-Wright oversees all areas related to the student-athlete experience- academics, student-athlete development, student-athlete welfare and all services related to international student-athletes. She also serves as the Title IX coordinator for athletics and as the liaison to multiple campus departments. She is the sport administrator for Women's tennis and Field Hockey. In addition, Hiort Wright served on the NCAA Division 1 tennis committee from 2020-2024.
Dr. Hiort-Wright earned her Ph. D from VCU in 2006, and she also earned her Masters in Social work and Bachelor in Social work from VCU. Hiort-Wright is a native of Uppsala, Sweden and spent eight years on the nation’s national tennis team. Hiort-Wright and her husband, Mervyn have two children, a daughter, Olivia, who played tennis at UConn and a son, Noah who is playing soccer at William and Mary.
