Lloyd Bruce-Burgess was named the 15th head coach in program history on August 8, 2023. Bruce-Burgess brings experience coaching men’s tennis at Iowa, South Florida, Wichita State and Fresno Pacific—plus two seasons at UCF as assistant women’s tennis coach.
Bruce-Burgess continues his collaboration with newly named UCF director of tennis Bryan Koniecko whose Knight women’s tennis team has advanced to the NCAA Championship each of the last two seasons with Bruce-Burgess’ assistance.
With a steady foundation through his first two seasons in charge, Bruce-Burgess continued the program's soaring status with another historic campaign. UCF boasted a perfect non-conference record, tallying 13 wins from 13, highlighted by triumphs over No. 18 Florida and No. 18 Clemson at the USTA National Campus.
A year removed from qualifying to the program's first ITA Indoor Championship after toppling No. 6 Arizona during ITA Kickoff Weekend, the Knights ventured to the west coast once more and booked their ticket once again, defeating No. 21 USC and No. 17 Oklahoma in Berkley, California. Moreover, the Knights were a perfect 6-0 against in-state opponents before adding a seventh against Florida during the NCAA tournament.
Following the ITA Indoor Championships, the Knights secured a program-high ITA ranking, soaring to eighth on February 19, while never falling below 15th throughout the season. In their third season competing in the Big 12, the Black and Gold went 5-3 and advanced to the Big 12 Championship semifinals at the USTA National Campus.
Following the regular season, UCF was named host for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. The Knights first disposed of South Carolina State before mounting an incredible comeback down 3-0 to No. 19 Florida to eliminate the Gators for the third-straight season and book the program's second-ever and second-consecutive place in the Sweet Sixteen.
Throughout the season, the Knights never dropped a match against a team outside of the final top-10, all while making Orlando one of the most difficult places to play with a perfect 14-0 record at home.
2025-26 Season Notables
- Advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for both the second-straight season and the second time in program history
- Eliminated Florida from the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year while hosting the first and second rounds for the third time ever
- Achieved a program-high ITA Ranking of No. 8 and never fell outside of the top-15 throughout the season
- Qualified to the ITA Indoor Championships for both the second-straight season and the second time in program history, defeating No. 17 Oklahoma and No. 21 USC
- Tallied a perfect 14-0 record at the USTA National Campus and went 7-0 against in-state opponents, all while having zero defeats to teams that finished outside of the final ITA top-10
- Named the ITA Southeast Region Head Coach of the Year
Bruce-Burgess followed up a promising first year with the program’s most successful season to date, reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time, along with a DI program-best 23 wins. The Knights, picked sixth in the Big 12 preseason poll, placed fourth during the regular season before defeating title-holders No. 2 TCU in the tournament semifinals.
A campaign of historic moments saw UCF claim its first ITA Kickoff Weekend crown to advance to the ITA Indoor Championships, where the Knights took down the reigning champions No. 4 Ohio State in the round of 16. The aforementioned wins against the Horned Frogs and Buckeyes joined a pair of triumphs over Arizona, which ranked sixth in 10th in each of the victories. Having not beaten a top-10 opponent in 838 matches before the Englishman’s arrival, UCF tallied four wins of the kind in the span of just 22 contests.
The Knights hosted an NCAA regional for the second time after being tabbed the nation’s 15th-seed. After taking down Miami in the first round, UCF eliminated Florida for the second consecutive year to secure a spot in the Super Regionals. Climbing as high as 11th in the ITA rankings, a final placement of No. 16 was the highest among southeast region teams and second-best in the program’s history. Bruce-Burgess continued his development of a talented squad, placing Mehdi Benchakroun and Yassine Dlimi on the All-Big 12 Singles First Team.
2024-25 Season Notables
- Produced a 23-9 record, most wins in the DI era (since 1984)
- Advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for first time in program history
- Hosted an NCAA Regional for the second time, defeating Florida in the program’s first second-round victory
- Claimed four top-10 wins in the span of 22 matches, the first of the kind in program history
- Defeated reigning champions No. 4 Ohio State in the round of 16 at the ITA Indoor Championship
- Claimed the program’s first ITA Kickoff Weekend title with a win at No. 6 Arizona
- Defeated No. 2 TCU in the Big 12 semifinals after being picked to place sixth in the preseason poll
- Secured second-highest final team ranking in program history (No. 16), the best of southeast region teams
- Climbed as high as No. 11 in the ITA team rankings (third-best placement in program history)
During his debut season at the realm, Bruce-Burgess led the Knights to a historic inaugural campaign in the Big 12. Alongside his former player, Kareem Allaf, the tandem navigated UCF to a 7-0 start, the first in program history, before eventually attaining a 14-1 non-conference record, another school record. After being picked to finish tied for sixth in the coach's preseason poll, the Knights went 4-3 to place fourth, including wins over Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and BYU.
The Knights would go on to defeat No. 23 Florida in the first round of the NCAA tournament, securing the program its first over the Gators and second-ever qualification to the second round. Bruce-Burgess became the first coach to attain the latter in his first year, along with the second-best overall record (19-6), the ninth-best in the team's history. UCF was tabbed No. 24 in the ITA Rankings during the regular season, its highest position since 2021. The Knights would eventually finish the season ranked 28th (second-highest in program history) in the nation and third in the southeast region.
2023-24 Season Notables
- Ninth-best record in program history (19-6), the second-best percentage of any first-year coaching staff.
- Best seven-match start (7-0) and non-conference record (14-1).
- Defeated Florida in the NCAA tournament first round, its second NCAA tournament win in program history and first over Florida.
- Second-best performance in the NCAA Tournament from any program in Florida/Georgia.
- Advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in program history.
- Lleyton Cronje/Santiago Giamichelle crowned ITA Southeast Regional Doubles Champions.
- 2024 recruiting class tabbed third in the nation (highest in the Big 12 and in program history).
- Placed five players on the ITA Singles/Doubles rankings.
“I am thrilled to announce that Lloyd will be the next men’s tennis coach at UCF,” said Koniecko. “Lloyd has been a valuable member of our staff for the last two years, and his passion for excellence is unparalleled. He has an impressive tennis background, with experience in coaching, playing, and recruiting. Lloyd is someone who genuinely cares for his players and will work tirelessly to build a championship team at UCF for years to come. I look forward to seeing him lead our program to new heights.”
Under Bruce-Burgess' leadership, Kareem Allaf earned first-team All-Big Ten accolades for the second straight season in 2021 and became Iowa's all-time leader in wins, and Davies tied the program record for most doubles victories. In his first season at Iowa, Bruce-Burgess helped coach the Hawkeyes to a 12-2 start in 2020 and a program-best national ranking of No. 20--and the Hawkeyes were on pace to qualify for the program's first NCAA Championship before the season was canceled due to Covid-19.
Prior to Iowa, Bruce-Burgess served a short stint as an assistant at the University of South Florida for the 2019 fall campaign after serving as director of tennis for Genesis Health Clubs from 2013-19. He received director of the year honors within the health club system in 2015 and 2016.
Bruce-Burgess spent one year in 2014 as a part-time volunteer assistant men’s tennis coach at Wichita State (18-9 record) after a year in 2013 as assistant men’s and women’s coach at Fresno Pacific. The Fresno Pacific men that year ranked No. 1 in the NAIA and the women third, as the program transitioned to NCAA Division II.
A native of Brockenhurst, England, Bruce-Burgess earned his communication studies degree in 2012 from Fresno Pacific where he was a part of the 2012 NAIA national runner-up squad (25-2 team mark). He was a two-time JUCO All-American at Cowley College (Arkansas City, Kansas) where he was ranked No. 3 and No. 2 by the NJCCA in singles and doubles, respectively, on a team ranked sixth nationally. He was also tabbed the ITA Region VI Player of the Year in 2010 thanks to records of 21-2 in singles and 14-8 in doubles.
Collegiate Journey:
- 2008-10: Cowley College (Player)
- 2010-12: Fresno Pacific (Player)
- 2013: Fresno Pacific M/W (Assistant Coach)
- 2014: Wichita State M (Volunteer Assistant Coach)
- 2019: South Florida M (Volunteer Assistant Coach)
- 2020-21: Iowa M (Assistant Coach)
- 2021-23: UCF W (Assistant Coach)
- 2023-Present: UCF M (Head Coach)
Record by Season
2024: 19-6 (4-3 Big 12) | Conference Quarterfinals | NCAA Tournament Second Round
2025: 23-9 (5-3 Big 12) | Conference Finalists | NCAA Tournament Round of 16
2026: 22-7 (5-3 Big 12) | Conference Semifinals | NCAA Tournament Round of 16
Email: lbburgess@athletics.ucf.edu