Wednesday, 08/29/2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Bryan Koniecko is returning to his alma mater to join the Ohio State’s women’s tennis team as an assistant coach, Melissa Schaub, interim head coach, announced Wednesday. The five-time All-American spent the past two years as an assistant coach for Brown University’s men’s tennis team.

“Bryan had an amazing career at Ohio State as a player and I am so excited he is back to join our coaching staff,” Schaub said. “His competitiveness, drive and enthusiasm for Ohio State will make an immediate impact on our program. He knows what it takes to get to the elite level and I have no doubt he is going to help us get there. Bryan has played at the highest level under Coach (Ty) Tucker and on the pro tour. He has been able to take that experience and directly insert it into his coaching. It is an exciting time for Ohio State tennis and I could not be more excited for the future of this program.”

In his collegiate career at Ohio State, Koniecko was a standout player who helped lead his team to Big Ten regular season and tournament titles in each of his four years as a Buckeye. He was named the Big Ten Athlete of the Year in 2008 and 2009, as well as the 2006 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. As a team captain in 2009, 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 his senior year and reached the final of the NCAA team tournament.

After graduating from Ohio State with a degree in communication analysis and practice, Koniecko continued his career at the professional level where he reached an ATP career high ranking of 651. He earned his first professional title in 2007 when he won the ITF professional futures event in Ecuador. In 2008, he was a runner up in the ITF professional futures event in Peoria, Ill.

As a junior, Koniecko traveled to more than 17 countries to compete in tournaments including 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. The Long Island, N.Y., native also competed in the 2007 and 2008 U.S. Open qualifiers.