Cohen To Be Inducted into Miami Sports HOF

NORMAN, Okla. – Oklahoma women's tennis head coach Audra Cohen will be inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame at the UMSHoF Induction Banquet in April 2017. All nine inductees will be formally introduced during the Miami-North Carolina football game on Oct. 15 as part of the “Hall of Fame Game” ceremonies.

Cohen, who graduated from Miami in 2009, won the NCAA Individuals Singles Championship for the Hurricanes and was a two-time ITA National Player of the Year.

“I'm very honored to be inducted into the hall of fame,” Cohen. “I am grateful for the experience I had as a Hurricane and to the people that helped me grow as a person and an athlete.”

A native of Plantation, Fla., Cohen was the top-ranked women's collegiate player in 2006 and 2007. She was named the 2006 ITA and ACC Player of the Year following a 42-2 record in singles as a sophomore. That fall, Cohen was also the National Indoor Intercollegiate Singles champion.

Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews praised Cohen for her success as a player.

“Audra Cohen is one of the best competitors to ever play at the University of Miami. This is a well-deserved honor and I am so happy for her," Yaroshuk-Tews said.

In the spring of 2007, Cohen won the NCAA Women's Individual Singles Championship. That year, she earned the Honda Collegiate Women's Sports Award for tennis. This is awarded to the athlete who not only demonstrates superior athleticism, but also leadership ability, academic excellence and community service.

Cohen was again named the 2007 ITA and ACC Player of the Year and a CoSIDA Second Team All-American after her junior season. Cohen also earned two ITA All-American honors in 2006 and 2007, finishing her career with a 76-4 record.

She graduated from Miami in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in psychology.

Cohen began her collegiate career at Northwestern where she earned All-America honors in singles and doubles, was named Big Ten's Player of the Year as a freshman and the ITA's Rookie of the Year, while advancing to the NCAA singles championship final.

“When I arrived at Miami I was injured and in need of a serious back surgery and for me to leave an NCAA Champion is a testament to the high standard of care the program offered,” Cohen said. "I owe many thanks to former UM president Donna Shalala, Coach Paige Tews, my teammates, the training staff and the support staff. They made this all possible.”

Cohen captained the 2007 Pan-American Olympic Team, played professionally on the WTA Tour and competed in the US Open Main Draw in both singles and doubles, while winning one USTA Pro Circuit title in 2006.

Cohen's success continued into her coaching career. She spent two seasons as the assistant coach at Wisconsin before taking the head coaching position at the University of North Florida in 2011.

She led UNF to the 2012 Atlantic Sun conference regular season and tournament championships, earning an NCAA Tournament bid. The Ospreys again made the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and ended at No. 74 in the ITA rankings.

Under Cohen's direction, the Ospreys posted a program-best 17 wins in 2015 with seven players collecting postseason All-Atlantic Sun honors en route to another NCAA Tournament berth. In 2016, North Florida recorded a second straight undefeated conference schedule, as well as its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in five years under Cohen.

Cohen is her first season at OU after taking over the womens' tennis program in July. In her first tournament as the Sooners' head coach, two players posted undefeated records with three Sooners earning all-tournament honors.

Joining Cohen in the nine-person class are Miami women's basketball coach Katie Meier, baseball players Ryan Braun and Dan Davies, James Jackson, Jeremy Shockey, Darryl Williams, Steve Edwards and volleyball player Valeria Tipiana.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Cohen To Be Inducted into Miami Sports HOF

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