ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – UCF Director of Tennis John Roddick announced Bryan Koniecko as the new women's tennis head coach on Tuesday. Koniecko recently completed his second season as the men's tennis head coach at Brown.
"We are very excited about the addition of Bryan, who has extensive experience as a collegiate coach and player," Roddick said. "He did a fantastic job of laying the groundwork to rebuild the Ohio State women's program into a national power through recruiting and developing players. With the combination of our new home at the USTA facility in Lake Nona and the academics at UCF, we are confident that Bryan will identify the best student-athletes in the nation and help bring the program to national prominence."
Koniecko, who also spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Ohio State women's team, becomes the 12th head coach in program history.
"I am honored and humbled to lead the women's tennis program at UCF," Koniecko said. "I want to thank (Director of Athletics) Danny White, (Senior Associate AD, Academic Services) Eric Wood and (Director of Tennis) John Roddick for giving me this unique opportunity. When I stepped foot on campus, I was impressed with the university's dedication to athletic and academic excellence. I am excited to recruit to one of the best facilities in the world and build UCF into a national power."
A strong recruiter, Koniecko brought three international players that held ITF Top 50 rankings to Ohio State, helping the women's squad jump from No. 73 to No. 35 in the ITA rankings. In his first of two stints at Brown, Koniecko helped guide a previously unranked Bears men's squad to an ITA Top 50 ranking during his tenure as an assistant coach.
"The first step in building this program is to begin developing our players to reach their maximum potential," Koniecko added. "We will start to build a strong culture of excellence that will be passed down over the years at UCF. I am very eager to begin working with the current team.
"Our goal is to recruit young women that are very dedicated to their academics as well as their athletics. We will be looking for student-athletes who are relentless competitors that will help lead UCF to the top of college tennis. I cannot wait to begin recruiting internationally, nationally and the great state of Florida."
As the Brown men's head coach from 2014-16, a pair of Bears earned All-Ivy singles honors under Koniecko's guidance. The Bears totaled 24 victories and garnered ITA All-Academic Team accolades following each campaign.
Koniecko returned to his alma mater, Ohio State, in 2012 and was promoted to associate head coach during the 2013-14 campaign. During that season, he helped guide Ohio State to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2009, a national ranking of 35 and an undefeated mark on its home court.
A five-time All-American at Ohio State, Koniecko led his team to four Big Ten regular season and tournament titles during his four years at Ohio State. He earned consecutive Big Ten Athlete of the Year accolades in 2008 and 2009, and was named league's Freshman of the Year in 2006.
As a captain in his senior year, Koniecko won the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Singles Title and was ranked No. 1 in the country individually. Ohio State was also ranked No. 1 in the country during his final campaign and finished as the national runner-up.
After graduating with a bachelor of arts in 2009, Koniecko continued to play at the professional level where he reached an ATP career-high ranking of 651. He earned his first professional title in 2007, winning the ITF professional futures event in Ecuador. In 2008, he was also a runner-up in the ITF professional futures event in Peoria, Ill. The Long Island, N.Y., native also had the opportunity to compete in the 2007 and 2008 U.S. Open qualifying.
Koniecko traveled to more than 17 countries to compete in tournaments such as the Junior Australian Open and Wimbledon. He was ranked as high as No. 45 in the ITF world junior rankings with a win over Marin Cilic and was ranked Top 10 nationally in the Boys' 16s and 18s.