Brian Ward Named Tennis Associate Head Coach

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Tennis Head Coach Bianca Turati named Brian Ward as the program’s associate head coach.

Ward joins the Mizzou program after spending the previous two seasons at the University of Colorado. His hire completes the coaching staff which also includes second-year assistant Carson Gates. 

“I am thrilled to have Brian join our coaching staff,” Turati said. “He represents exactly what we were looking for – a hard worker with extensive coaching and teaching experience. Coach Ward shares my ambition, and I cannot wait to start working together and get on the court with our entire team.”

“I want to express my enthusiasm and appreciation for this amazing opportunity to work alongside Coach Turati as we take Mizzou Tennis to the next level and be a part of the Tigers athletic community,” Ward said. “I’m very much looking forward to meeting and working with this outstanding group of student-athletes and am honored that Coach Turati has trusted me to be an integral part of this new chapter in women’s tennis. Go Tigers!”

Colorado finished the 2023 campaign ranked No. 61 in the final ITA poll of the season – its highest ranking in 14 years – along with a No. 4 ranking in the mountain region. The Buffaloes played in the inaugural Universal Tennis NIT Championship, the team’s first postseason action since 2007. 

Ward also spent three seasons at the University of Minnesota as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 2017-21. He also was an assistant coach for the men’s team at the University of Pennsylvania from 2015-17 where Ward helped recruit a pair of Top 25 signing classes.

He was an assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s teams at his alma mater, Georgetown University, from 2013-15. The Minnesota native started his coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach for the Hoyas 2012-13. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s in professional studies in sports industry management. 

Ward was a two-year letterwinner at GU, earning All-Academic team honors twice. He spent his first two years collegiately at Creighton where he was a two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete Award winner.