The University of Tulsa Women's Tennis

The Orford File PERSONAL INFORMATION Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa Education: Tulsa, 1992 (bachelor's degree in graphic design) Playing Experience: 4-year letterman, The University of Tulsa, 1987-91 Family: wife, Sally Ann; sons, Josey and Eli COACHING EXPERIENCE 2005-present: Tulsa, head coach TULSA HIGHLIGHTS - Tulsa's all-time winningest women's coach - Eight Conference Tournament Championships - 13 NCAA appearances - 1 NIT Championship appearance and title - Seven-time Conference Coach of the Year - Coached Martina Okalova and Vera Ploner to All-America status at the 2019 NCAA Doubles Championship Dean Orford will be in his 21st season leading the Golden Hurricane in 2025-26. He is one of the winningest active NCAA Division I women’s tennis coaches in the country with a 371-146 (.717) career head coaching record. Under his tutelage, Orford has guided the Hurricane to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, eight conference championships and one NIT Championship title. Tulsa was crowned Conference USA champions five times –– 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 –– and has captured American Athletic Conference titles three times –– 2015, 2016 and 2018. His teams have finished with a top-50 ranking in 13 seasons, with their highest ranking of No. 19 coming twice, first in the 2010-11 season when the Hurricane posted a program-best 26-3 mark. The second time occurred in 2018, as the team advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. Orford became Tulsa’s all-

Mark Watt was named assistant women’s tennis coach at The University of Tulsa in July 2022 following two years as a volunteer assistant coach for the Golden Hurricane. In his time at Tulsa, the women’s team has compiled a 65-65 record and a 50-28 record in the last three years as an assistant coach. In 2024-25, Tulsa made it back to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2018. The Hurricane posted 19 wins on the year, including a 4-3 thriller over 27th-ranked and top-seeded Florida Atlantic in The American semifinal round. Watt helped coach two senior doubles tandems to individual titles, including Maria Berlanga Bandera and Lily Hutchings, who won the ITA Central Region to earn a bid to the NCAA Doubles Championships. Ana Naranjo Martinez and Mariana Manyoma Velasquez won the inaugural doubles title at the AAC Individual Championships, becoming the program’s first individual conference champions. Tulsa won the doubles point in 20 of 28 dual matches, and Berlanga was tabbed The American Player of the Year, the second conference player of the year under Watt. Watt helped lead the 2023-24 Golden Hurricane team to the UTR Sports National Invitational (NIT) Tournament title, winning his first postseason national tournament in his 19th year leading the Golden Hurricane. The Hurricane prevailed in the eight-team tournament with a 4-0 sweep over Wyoming (quarterfinals), a thrilling 4-3 win over West Virginia (semifinals) that was clinched by eventual Women's MVP Ana Naranjo