Staff Directory
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- Phone:
- 852-3357
Mark Beckham continues to make his mark and build the Cardinal legacy as the University of head coach after being elevated to the head women's coaching position for the University of Louisville tennis team in 2007.
The former Cardinal standout was an assistant coach for the UofL men's team for 15 years prior to being moving to the women’s side as head coach.
The Beckham Years
In his first year, he took the Cardinal women's team to their first NCAA appearance in program history. The Cardinals, after posting a 16-8 mark and achieving their highest ever national ranking of No. 38, were selected at-large to the NCAAs, where they played Indiana in Evanston, Ill. His success was recognized as he was named the 2008 USTA Kentucky Coach of the Year.
His second year, he led the Cardinals to third place in the BIG EAST powered by an upset win over No. 3 seeded USF and placed eight Cardinals on the BIG EAST Academic team. Bianca Gorbea was named All-Conference. His third year, he led the team to 11 wins and saw then-freshman Mandy Brown rise to a No. 13 ranking in the region.
In 2011-12, with the infusion of young talent, Beckham coached the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in Julia Fellerhoff and a No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. Last year and carrying into the fall of 2012, Beckham put the Cardinals on the national stage. He had the highest nationally ranked doubles team of Mandy Brown and Julia Fellerhoff, the highest ranked singles player in Becca Shine with Becca Shine making the quarter finals of the ITA Singles Regional and Fellerhoff making the ITA Singles Regional Semi-Finals.Velasquez and Amelia Harris made the ITA regional semi-finals as a doubles team in Fall 2011 and Fellerhoff and Shine were invited to the ITA All-American Tournament. Fellerhoff and Shine both were named to the All-BIG EAST first team.
In 2012-13, Beckham led the Cardinals to an unbeaten record at home and a semi-final finish in the BIG EAST. Highlights in the spring of 2013 included upset wins over the Big Ten's Minnesota and Wisconsin and the ACC's Wake Forest. Fellerhoff and Shine were both ranked by the ITA in the Top 100 in singles going into the spring season and were both named to the All-BIG EAST Team. In the fall of 2013, Fellerhoff and Shine won the ITA Regional Doubles Championship and advanced to the ITA National Indoor Championship where they finished as runners-up, earning a No. 2 ranking, the highest ever doubles ranking in Cardinal history in either men's or women's tennis. To top it off, Beckham put together the No. 16 ranked recruiting class in the nation.
In 2013-14, the Cardinals saw their famous pair of Julia Fellerhoff and Rebecca Shine earn All-AAC honors, with Shine being named ITA Most Improved Senior. Shine reached the century mark in doubles wins became the all-time singles wins leader at 104. She also notched her 102nd victory in doubles placing her second on the all-time doubles list. Fellerhoff and Shine became the first Cardinals ever to advance to the NCAA National Championship and the No. 20-ranked pair competed as a doubles team. Fellerhoff went undefeated at home in singles over her last two seasons with a perfect 16-0 record at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
In 2014-15, saw Ola Mally and Caroline Walter named to the ACC All-Academic squad while the Cards posted a perfect APR. Going 12-17 for the season, the Cards beat Syracuse in the first round of the ACC tournament before falling to Clemson. The season saw Beckham earn his 100th win with a victory over Pitt.
In 2015-16, his squad went 8-18 and lost in the first round of the ACC tournament to NC State. The Cards placed seven on the All-ACC Academic squad.Â
In 2016-17, the Cards posted a sparkling 15-13 mark and pulled off an upset of nationally ranked Virginia at home during the regular season. The Cards had Mia Schmidt-Jorgensen as a finalist in the ITA Ohio Valley Regional. His squad upset Syracuse in the first round of the ACC Tournament before bowing out to Wake Forest. The Cards earned a perfect mark for Graduation Success Rate (GSR). Ola Mally, Olivia Boesing, Mariana Humberg and Abbie Pahz all earned ITA All-Academic Scholar Athlete accolades. Humberg earned a coveted spot on the ACC All-Academic spot. Pahz and Humberg made up a formidable doubles combination with a 15-7 mark at No. 1 in the ACC.
The 2017-18 season marked the first time the Cardinals had two different doubles teams in the national rankings with Humberg and Pahz being joined in the poll by Sena Suswam and Raven Neeley. Humberg and Pahz amassed a 26-6 doubles record at the No. 1 slot that year and ended the season ranked at No. 46. UofL opened the ACC season with an upset of Notre Dame. The Cards fell to Virginia Tech in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Humberg, Pahz and Suswam all earned a spot on the All-ACC Academic roll. Â
In 2018-19, the Cardinals began the season with a 9-0 mark and were ranked as high at No. 49 nationally. UofL placed seven on the ACC Honor Roll.
The Cards’ 2019-20 season came to a grinding halt in early March when the COVID pandemic shut the world down. Luckily, the Cardinals were able to take their long-awaited trip to Hawai’I before the shutdown. UofL was 8-6 when play was suspended nationwide. The Cardinals continued to excel in the classroom despite the quarantine, placing seven on the ACC Honor Roll and posted a perfect APR.
In 2020-21, Beckham once again had two doubles teams in the national rankings with Raven Neely and Tatiana Simova (as high as No. 13) excelling as a duo along with Andrea Di Palma and Rhea Verma are both among the best in the country. Freshman phenom Andrea Di Palma broke into the singles national rankings as well. The team spent three weeks in the national ranking and ended the regular season with a 9-14 record. Andrea Di Palma earned Third Team All-ACC honors after posting a 10-6 record at No. 2 singles.Â
In 2021-22, the Cards began the season with a 7-1 record and were ranked as high as No. 65 nationally. The duo of Andrea Di Palma and Rhea Verma broke into the doubles national rankings at No. 71. The Cards posted an 8-7 record in home matches, marking the sixth straight season that the team finished with a winning record at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. Beckham's squad finished the season 8-15 and fell to Boston College in the first round of the ACC tournament.Â
In 2022-23, the Cardinals finished 10-15 overall and 1-12 (ACC) in 2022-23. Beckham’s Cardinals beat Boston College in the first round of the ACC Championship in Cary, N.C. before falling to No. 36 Syracuse in the quarterfinals. The Cardinals were led by Tyra Richardson’s 12-12 record in singles at the No. 4 and No. 5 positions. Andrea DiPalma posted a 10-13 mark at No. 1 singles and was ranked as high as No. 109 in singles for the Cardinals with three wins over Top 35 players. Jamilah Snells and CiCi Xin led the Cardinals on the doubles side with a record of 12-7. Under his guidance, the Cardinals continued to excel in the classroom. Andrea DiPalma, Sasha Gorchanyuk, Tyra Richardson, Jamilah Snells and CiCi Xin named to the 2023 All-ACC Academic Team. Richardson, Gorchanyuk and Cici Xin were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Women's Tennis Academic All-District team. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution. Arielle Nealy was named as the first scholarship recipient of The Debra J. Holmes Scholarship. this scholarship is designed to support current Black female collegiate athletes preparing for their future and transition from college athletics.
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Prior to Being UofL Head Coach
Beckham's responsibilities as an assistant with the men's program included helping with individual workouts, recruiting, match coaching, practices and camps. He was instrumental in the Cardinals' success, including a program-high No. 12 team ranking, two conference championships and five NCAA appearances.
Beckham brought a wealth of experience to the helm as a both player and a coach. Beckham, a four-year letterwinner at UofL, finished his playing career for Rex Ecarma in 1992. He continued his association with the Cardinal program by signing on as a part-time assistant coach in the fall of 1992.
"I think my players are eager to be put in a situation where they are challenged to max out and enjoy the experience," said Beckham.
A Louisville native and former high school All-American at Eastern High School, Beckham was ranked second in the state of Kentucky in singles as a junior. He began playing tennis in Louisville's Chickasaw Park program under the oversight of Arthur Johnson, who is in the Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame. Beckham completed his degree in middle school education at UofL in the spring of 1994. He has served as the assistant tennis pro at the Louisville Country Club. In 1997, Beckham played No. 1 doubles on Team Kentucky, which qualified for the National Adult Tennis Championships.
Mark and his wife, Christina have a son, Ashton and a daughter Alaina.
