Gracia Named Tennis Assistant

NORMAN — University of Oklahoma head women's tennis coach Audra Cohen announced Jose Gracia as the program's new assistant coach Monday.

Gracia, a former two-time OU volunteer assistant, makes his return to the program after a season as the assistant coach for the Tulsa women's tennis program. During Gracia's time at TU, the team capped the season in the top 45 of the ITA rankings with three players ranked in the ITA singles and doubles releases. With the help of Gracia's guidance, the Golden Hurricane tallied two wins over Power Five programs and finished runner-up at the AAC Championships.

"After speaking with numerous candidates, it was evident that Jose fits in perfectly with our philosophy of being humble, hardworking and hungry to improve," Cohen said. "Jose has already been a major part of our rise as a program, and we are excited that he's coming back to Norman with his passion and energy."

Prior to Tulsa, Gracia served as the volunteer assistant for the Sooners from June 2018 to July 2019 and again from May 2020 to November 2020.

"First and foremost, I would like to thank Audra and the rest of the OU staff for this tremendous opportunity," Gracia said. "OU is a special place for me. It's like a second home and I could not be more excited to be a part of the family again. I look forward to continuing to build this program into a national title contender while developing our student-athletes into leaders."

While Gracia was at OU, the Sooners finished 17-9 in the 2019 season, tying for the 10th-most wins in program history. The team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships, making its 11th appearance at nationals and first since 2015. In addition to serving as the volunteer assistant, Gracia was the head professional at the OU Tennis Club.

Between his two stints at OU, Gracia served as the women's assistant coach at Fresno State in 2019-20.

Gracia has coached a total of five players to all-conference honors in his career and three have earned bids to the NCAA singles and doubles championships.

"He can play at a high level, coach at a high level and, most importantly, he will always care about the team over himself," Cohen said.

Gracia had an impressive collegiate playing career at Florida State, earning 163 wins to place him sixth on the school's all-time singles list. Additionally, he ranks sixth on the doubles list with 83 victories. During his five years at FSU, Gracia helped lead the Seminoles to NCAA Championships appearances each year.

Gracia served as a tennis instructor at the Seminole High Performance Center in Tallahassee, Fla., for two years while in college. He also spent four years at the Rick Macci Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Fla., as a high-performance coach. It was voted the No. 1 junior summer tennis camp in North America.

In May of 2018, Gracia earned his undergraduate degree from Florida State in interdisciplinary social sciences. The Delray Beach, Fla., product lives in Norman with his fiancée, Ann, who is a two-time graduate of the University of Oklahoma.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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