It took the University of New Mexico just one day to find their new women’s tennis head coach as on Thursday, July 9, the University named Joe Vann to the position. This announcement comes after the former head coach, Vicky Maes, announced Wednesday she would be stepping down to take a new role as the Director of the Lobo Tennis Club.
Maes had been the head coach since 2018 and amassed an 84-79 record in her time with the Lobos. Maes leaves the position as the second-longest tenured coach in the program's history, and her 84 wins make her the second-winningest coach in school history.
Vann enters the position after finding success during his time with the Central Oklahoma Bronchos, amassing a 73-34 record since 2021. During his five seasons with Bronchos, Vann led the program to four NCAA National Tournaments, and with Vann at the helm last season, the Bronchos went 18-4 overall, going 8-1 in league play and winning the MIAA Women’s Tennis Championship.
Outside of his head coaching experience, Vann also had a few stints as assistant coach, his most notable being with his alma mater, UT-Tyler, where he was with both the men’s and women’s programs for four years. To go along with his already esteemed coaching career, Vann has won two MIAA Coach of the Year awards.
In a press release by the University on Thursday, Vann expressed his thankfulness while also stating he is eager to get started.
“I am very honored to be joining the Lobos Athletic Family. I want to thank Athletic Director Ryan Berryman and Senior Associate A.D. Chris Hudson for their belief and trust in me to lead the program,” Vann said. “It is an honor to help carry Lobo Women's tennis forward and build upon their previous success in this new chapter, and I can't wait to get to work.”
Rodney Prunty is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @rprunty05
