ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – After their best season in program history, UCF women’s tennis head coach Bryan Koniecko has signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Black and Gold for the next five years.
“We are so fortunate to have Bryan at UCF for many years to come,” said UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Danny White, “The growth of the program these last three seasons has been incredible, and I’m excited to see what this team can do in the coming years. Not only have we seen results on the court, but off it as well, as his student-athletes are excelling in competition as well as the classroom.”
The Knights won their first conference title since 2002 this past season and reached the sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the first time. The Knights recorded their highest win total in a single season, earning a 24-4 mark with eight wins coming against ranked opponents. Additionally, a singles player and a doubles pair made the NCAA individual tournaments in the same year for the first time in program history. As for postseason awards, he had players named as the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and three selected to the All-Conference team. On top of what his players achieved, he has earned the nod as the American Coach of the Year for the past two seasons.
The Knights have grown exponentially since Koniecko’s arrival. When he took the helm of the Knights back in the 2016-2017 season, the team was ranked No. 118 in the Oracle/ITA team rankings. At the end of this past season, UCF had climbed as high as No. 18 and concluded the 2018-2019 campaign ranked No. 19 in the nation.
“It’s a privilege for me to come to work at UCF every day and to help this program grow day in and day out,” said head coach Bryan Koniecko, “I am thankful to our current and past players who have given everything to help guide UCF to our goal of being one of the best programs in America. Orlando is an incredible home to my wife and me. I couldn’t be more thankful to Danny White and Dr. Eric Wood for their support and belief in UCF tennis.”
UCF has made a point to defend home court ever since the start of the Koniecko era. In a way, the Knights were the benefactor of a perfect storm, getting a new coach and agreeing to play at the USTA National Campus, a world-class facility, at the start of Koniecko’s tenure. The Black and Gold have posted a 41-6 record at home in the past three seasons, including a 15-0 mark during the 2019 regular season.
This past spring, Koniecko became the fastest coach to 50 wins at UCF, accomplishing the feat on March 24, 2019 with a 4-1 victory over No. 34 Illinois. After the 2019 season, Koniecko’s record at UCF sits at 57-18, good enough for an impressive .760 winning percentage. His career head coaching record includes 24 additional wins from his two seasons as the head coach at Brown University.
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