Ben Dunbar - Associate Head Coach - Men's Tennis Coaches

Ben Dunbar

Title:
Associate Head Coach

Ben Dunbar joined Oklahoma Athletics as the associate head coach of the men’s tennis program in June 2022 and has since played a pivotal role in sustaining the program’s national prominence.

In three seasons at Oklahoma, Dunbar has helped guide the Sooners to three consecutive years with a ranking in the top 10 of the ITA rankings and three trips to the second round of the NCAA championships.

During the 2024-25 season, Dunbar helped lead Oklahoma through its first year in the SEC, as the Sooners posted a 17-11 overall record and a 7-7 conference mark. The team recorded 12 home victories and hosted the 2025 ITA Kickoff Weekend. Highlights included a first-round victory over Illinois in the NCAA Tournament and a run to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Oklahoma recorded two wins over perennial tennis power Georgia, along with wins over Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU and Arkansas. Oklahoma reached a season-high national ranking of No. 10 on January 6, 2025, and finished the season ranked No. 24 in the ITA national rankings. Dunbar also helped coach three student-athletes to NCAA Individual Championship qualification in the fall, with Jordan Hasson competing in singles, Bruno Nhavene in doubles, and Oscar Lacides qualifying in both singles and doubles.

Dunbar’s second season on campus in 2023-24 was highlighted by a 21-5 overall record, a dominant 14-2 mark at home, and an 11-match winning streak that included three victories over top 15 opponents. The Sooners advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament as the No. 11 overall seed, marking the program’s 14th consecutive NCAA appearance. Oklahoma climbed to a season-high ranking of No. 9 nationally on April 16, 2024, before finishing the year ranked No. 11 in the final ITA nation ranking. In the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Oklahoma earned a 4-0 victory over UT Arlington before falling to Stanford in the round of 32.

For his impact during the 2023-24 season, Dunbar was named the 2024 ITA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year. Under his guidance, senior Alex Martinez reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 7, was a qualifier for the 2024 NCAA individual tournament and earned four conference Athlete of the Week honors. Martinez was also selected as a recipient of the prestigious ITF/ITA Accelerator Program, receiving eight wildcards into Challenger-level professional events upon graduation.

In his first season at Oklahoma in 2022-23, Dunbar helped lead the Sooners to a 15-12 overall record, including nine home victories, and the program’s 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Oklahoma opened the NCAA Tournament with a first-round victory over NC State before falling to Georgia in the second round. Dunbar coached Alex Martinez and Siphos Montsi to All-Big 12 honors, with Martinez earning second-team singles recognition and Montsi capturing the No. 3 singles position title. Oklahoma attained a season-high ITA ranking of No. 31 on June 6, 2023.

Dunbar arrived in Norman following a five-year head coaching tenure at the University of New Mexico from 2016-21. During his time with the Lobos, he led the program to Mountain West Conference championships in 2019 and 2021 (with the 2020 season canceled due to COVID-19) and was named the 2021 Mountain West Coach of the Year. He compiled a 54-49 overall record and a 21-7 conference mark, guiding UNM to the 2021 NCAA Tournament where they fell to Texas A&M in the first round.

Prior to becoming head coach, Dunbar served four seasons as an assistant coach at New Mexico. In 2014-15, the Lobos won the Mountain West regular-season title and earned an at-large NCAA berth and peaked at a ranking high of number 32 in the ITA rankings. For his contributions, Dunbar was recognized as the ITA Mountain Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

A native of Nottingham, England, Dunbar enjoyed an accomplished playing career at New Mexico, posting a 55-49 singles record while playing primarily at the number one through three spots, and a 73-34 doubles mark. His senior season included 27 doubles wins, the sixth-highest single-season total in program history, and he reached a career-high ITA doubles ranking of No. 30. He was a five-time All-Mountain West honoree.

Dunbar was also a standout academically, earning Mountain West Scholar-Athlete honors, multiple All-Academic selections, and ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition while maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from New Mexico in 2012 and his master’s degree in sports administration in 2016.

Dunbar and his wife, Beth, reside in Norman with their daughter Olivia and son Cameron.