SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Head Women’s Tennis Coach Ric Mortera has signed a contract extension through June of 2027, Director of Athletics Mark Harlan announced. Mortera led the Utes to a 15-win season and signed a Top 10 recruiting class.
“Ric Mortera has done a terrific job of elevating our women’s tennis program and establishing a foundation for future success,” Harlan said. “His team’s performance on the court and in the classroom has been tremendous, and he has raised the bar significantly in recruiting. With the upward trajectory of his program, it was an important priority to extend his contract at this time.”
Mortera, who is entering his fourth season as head coach at Utah, signed the ninth-ranked recruiting class as rated by the Tennis Recruiting Network, the highest ranking in program history. The Utes’ incoming signing class includes the program’s first Blue-Chip recruit, Kaila Barksdale. Following the 2022 season, Mortera was named Wilson/ITA Mountain Region Coach of the Year.
“I am so grateful for the leadership at the University of Utah and Mark Harlan‘s continued belief in me and the program we are building here,” remarked Mortera. “I have absolutely loved calling Utah home for the past three years, and I am looking forward to continuing along the path to our collective goals. It is an honor to work for such a great institution, and I am excited for the future.”
During the 2021-22 season, Mortera had the Utes reaching new heights. The Utes defeated No. 21 USC for the first time in program history, and Anastasia Goncharova and Linda Huang received Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention honors. The Utes finished as the top-ranked team in the ITA Mountain Region and placed three in the mountain region singles rankings, including the top-ranked player, Linda Huang.
Though his first season at the helm of the program was shortened due to COVID-19 in the 2019-20 campaign, Mortera led the young Utah squad to the best start to a season since 1983-84. The Utes jumped out to a 5-0 start on the year, which included a 4-3 win over Minnesota.
Mortera led the team to finish 12-5 in dual play before the season was canceled. Utah went 8-0 against Mountain Region opponents that were highlighted by an upset over the No. 33-ranked Denver Pioneers and the program’s 11th-straight victory against…
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