Bryan Koniecko, who has led the UCF women’s tennis program to a pair of American Athletic Conference titles and five NCAA Championship team appearances in his seven years as head coach, has been named director of tennis for the Knights.
In that role he will have oversight for both the men’s and women’s programs at UCF—while continuing as UCF women’s head coach.
“We’re fortunate to be able to move very quickly due to the confidence we have in Bryan and the NCAA success he has had as our women’s head coach,” said Terry Mohajir, UCF vice president and director of athletics. “He is highly thought of nationally in the tennis community. Bryan along with our administration will work to hire a new men’s coach and Bryan will be very active with both programs.”
As director of tennis at UCF, Koniecko replaces John Roddick who resigned Friday from that position and his men’s head coaching job with the Knights.
“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to lead as the next director of tennis at UCF,” said Koniecko. “I am very grateful to Terry Mohajir and (deputy athletics director) Abby Wilson for their belief in me, as well as their continuous support in driving UCF tennis towards national prominence.
“A tremendous amount of gratitude goes to John Roddick for the chance he gave me seven years ago. His mentorship and friendship have been invaluable to me in my journey. Under Coach Roddick's guidance, UCF tennis has transformed into a national brand, and the wealth of knowledge I've gained from him is immeasurable.”
Koniecko’s top two UCF women’s squads in 2019 and 2021 both won AAC crowns and advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Championship team bracket—finishing 24-4 in 2019 and 20-5 in 2021. The Knights also competed in the NCAA team championships in 2018, 2022 and 2023—and were off to a great start at 10-3 in 2020 before the NCAA spring championships were canceled due to Covid-19.
His seven seasons also have featured three individuals who have competed in the NCAA singles bracket on five combined occasions—Valeriya Zeleva in 2019 and 2021, Rebeka Stolmar in 2021 and Marie Mattel in 2022 and 2023. Two of his UCF doubles teams have played in NCAA doubles competitions—Ksenia Kuznetsova and Maria Martinez in 2018, then Kuznetsova and Zeleva in 2019.
Koniecko was named the UCF women’s tennis head coach on July 5, 2016. The 12th head coach in program history came to the Knights following a two-year stint as the men’s tennis head coach at Brown University.
Facing a difficult 2023 schedule with 16 ranked opponents, UCF reached the AAC Tournament final and earned its fifth-straight NCAA Championship berth (skipping the 2020 version that was cancelled). The team collected five ranked wins and earn the second seed in the AAC Tournament, not dropping a set in its march to the finals. Koniecko helped Mattel to her second consecutive NCAA Singles Championship berth and All-AAC honors. Also collecting All-AAC honors was fellow captain Nandini Sharma.
The Knights in 2022 earned an NCAA bid with a 16-8 overall record. UCF picked up wins over No. 9 Oklahoma State, No. 17 Baylor, and No. 18 Michigan, ending the regular season on an eight-game match win streak. Koniecko guided Mattel to her first NCAA singles berth after she was named to the All-AAC team.
UCF won 12 of 13 matches early in 2021 and hung around the high teens and low 20s in the Oracle/ITA team rankings for the majority of the season. The Knights’ victory over No. 4 Florida State marked their first win over a top-five team in program history. That triumph shot the Knights up to eighth in the team rankings, their highest mark in program history. After winning their second straight AAC title, the Knights earned the No. 9 national seed in the NCAA Championship. UCF swept Charleston Southern in the first round, defeated No. 23 Miami, then fell to No. 18 Duke in the third round for a 20-5 record and the third 20-win season in the Koniecko era.
Before the end of the 2020 season was canceled, the Knights knocked off No. 22 Baylor and climbed to 12th in the Oracle/ITA polls, then the highest ranking in program history. UCF finished 10-3 in dual-match play.
Koniecko guided the Knights to their best season in program history in 2019. The team earned a record 24 victories, reached a then-record ranking of 18th in the Oracle/ITA poll and earned its first conference title since 2002. The Knights swept Alabama in the first round of the NCAA Championships and then defeated No. 11 Florida State. Koniecko became the fastest coach in program history to 50 wins on March 24, 2019, with a 4-1 victory over No. 34 Illinois.
Koniecko earned back-to-back AAC Coach of the Year honors in 2018 and 2019, as Mattel took home the 2019 AAC Freshman of the Year award and Zeleva was named AAC Player of the Year. Zeleva, Kuznetsova and Stolmar were named to the All-AAC squad.
The doubles team of Zeleva and Kuznetsova became the second tandem in program history to earn a spot in the NCAA Doubles Championships. Zeleva also earned a spot in the NCAA Singles Championships. The nod for UCF’s top duo earned Kuznetsova her second straight trip to the tournament after she made it in 2018 with Maria Martinez.
Monica Matias represented Puerto Rico in the Fed Cup and helped that squad to its first promotion to Americas Group I since 2010. Matias was named a Fed Cup MVP, one of five in the world. She was also tabbed as the AAC Women’s Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second time.
In his inaugural campaign at UCF in 2017, Koniecko guided the Knights to a 13-9 record, as Matias garnered all-conference honors and was named league’s top women’s tennis scholar-athlete. In 2018 UCF defeated six out of seven ranked opponents, including victories against No. 15 South Carolina and No. 16 Baylor.
In his first of two stints at Brown from 2010-12, Koniecko helped guide a previously unranked Bears men’s squad to a top-50 ranking as an assistant coach. As the Brown head men’s coach in 2015 and 2016, he assisted a pair of Bears--Peter Tarid, first team, 2016, and Justin To, second team, 2015—in winning All-Ivy League singles honors. 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 guided Ohio State to its first NCAA Championship appearance since 2009, a national ranking of 35 and an undefeated mark at home.
A five-time All-American as a player at Ohio State, Koniecko led his team to four Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles during his four seasons. He earned consecutive Big Ten Athlete of the Year accolades (2008 and 2009) and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2006. As a captain 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 degree in 2009, Koniecko continued to play at the professional level. He earned his first professional title in 2007, winning a professional futures event in Ecuador. The Long Island, New York, native also took part in 2007 and 2008 U.S. Open qualifying.
Bryan Koniecko’s Women’s Tennis Coaching Record at UCF
|
Year |
Overall Record |
Conference Record |
Home Record |
Postseason |
|
2017 |
13-9 |
0-4 |
9-5 |
-- |
|
2018 |
20-5 |
5-1 |
14-1 |
NCAA Second Round |
|
2019 |
24-4 |
6-0 / AAC Champion |
15-0 |
NCAA Sweet 16 |
|
2020* |
10-3 |
2-0 |
5-2 |
Canceled |
|
2021 |
20-5 |
3-0 / AAC Champion |
16-1 |
NCAA Sweet 16 |
|
2022 |
16-8 |
3-0 |
11-3 |
NCAA Second Round |
|
2023 |
11-12 |
1-1 |
7-5 |
NCAA First Round |
|
Overall |
114-46 (.747) |
20-6 (.769) |
77-17 (.819) |
|
* Remainder of season canceled due to COVID-19