Completed Event: Women's Tennis at #8 Auburn on March 28, 2025 , Win , 4, to, 3
Final
Women's Tennis
4
at #8 Auburn
3
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Women's Tennis
Cobra, Mariana
Mariana Cobra
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- cobra@ou.edu
Mariana Cobra joined Oklahoma Athletics in January 2021 as the Associate Head Coach of the women’s tennis program.
Cobra brought a decade of coaching experience to the Sooners, including head coaching stints at Fresno State (2019-20), North Florida (2016-19), Idaho (2014-16), and Northern Iowa (2012-13).
In 2025, Cobra helped guide Julia Garcia Ruiz to All-America honors for the second time in her career, as Ruiz finished the fall season as a national singles finalist. In Oklahoma’s inaugural SEC season, the Sooners posted 20 wins and secured their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, earning the No. 6 overall seed—the second-highest in program history.
During the 2024 season, Cobra coached seven players who combined for eight All-Big 12 honors. She also played a key role in the rise of Dana Guzman and Alina Shcherbinina to No. 2 in the national ITA doubles rankings—the highest-ever ranking for a doubles team in program history. The Sooners earned a top-three seed at the Big 12 Championship for the third straight year and advanced to their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament.
In 2023, OU continued its home winning streak, going 16-0 in the friendly confines of the Headington Family Tennis Center. A Bedlam sweep (4-0 on April 7) highlighted Oklahoma’s dominance on its home court.
Cobra also helped senior Layne Sleeth to a five match winning streak in the NCAA Singles Championship to reach the finals and cement her place in Sooner history. During her stellar season, Sleeth notched seven ranked victories, including wins over the No. 3 and No. 13 players in the country, before falling in the national title match.
In her second season, Cobra helped Oklahoma to its best season in program history. OU finished their season as the 2022 National Runner-Up, and with a 32-3 overall record. Throughout the illustrious year, the Sooners collected 12 sweeps, 17 ranked wins against teams in the top 30, four Big 12 Player of the Week honors and went undefeated at home.
In her first season at OU, Cobra helped lead the Sooners to a 15-7 overall record and the program’s second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. For the first time since 2014, OU entered the ITA top 25 and rose as high No. 21 nationally. The Sooners downed seven ranked opponents with their signature win in an upset of No. 16 UCF.
Cobra helped guide four players to a total of seven All-Big 12 honors. Martina Capurro was named to the singles second team and was the No. 4 position co-champion; Carmen Corley was tabbed to the first team in singles and earned first team honors in doubles alongside Ivana Corley; and freshman Dana Guzman earned a trio of accolades as a second team singles selection, an all-freshman team member and the No. 2 position champion.
Prior to OU, Cobra coached her teams to five-straight conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances as a head coach. During her time leading the North Florida Ospreys, Cobra's teams claimed three consecutive ASUN conference titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances while going 49-25 overall (16-3 ASUN). In the classroom, her teams at UNF earned a perfect Academic Progress Rate of 1000 in all three seasons to also earn the NCAA's annual Public Recognition Award for being in the top 10 percent of their sport with a team grade point average above a 3.5 GPA in 2018 and 2019.
Prior to North Florida, Cobra's squads thrived in two seasons at the University of Idaho where she led the Vandals to back-to-back Big Sky Championships and the squad's third straight NCAA appearance. Her teams also achieved perfect APRs of 1000 in both seasons and Cobra was named the 2015 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year.
In 2014, she worked for DPF Sports & Exchange to help place South American student-athletes in American universities. Cobra started her head coaching career at her alma mater, Northern Iowa, in 2012, and had previously been an assistant coach for the Panthers from 2008-10. She also assisted at Case Western Reserve in 2011-12 and Middle Tennessee State for the 2010-11 season.
Over the course of her seven-year career as a Division I head coach, Cobra has coached her players to 30 all-conference selections, including three conference Player of the Year awards. She is known for developing players into championship-caliber student-athletes on and off the court, while consistently recruiting top-flight talent.
As a student-athlete at Northern Iowa, Cobra was a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and a two-time MVC Scholar Athlete. She posted a 65-28 singles record to finish her career ranked third in school history in winning percentage.
Cobra, who is originally from Brazil, graduated from UNI with a bachelor's degree in physical education (exercise science and sport psychology emphasis) and a master's degree in sports psychology.
WTEN Highlights: Miami Spring Invite Day Two
Saturday, January 11
WTEN Highlights: Miami Spring Invite Day One
Friday, January 10
WTEN Highlights: OU 4, Houston 0
Wednesday, April 17
WTEN Highlights: OU 4, Kansas State 0
Friday, March 22
