ULM discontinuing women’s tennis program, effective immediately

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - The University of Louisiana Monroe has announced the women’s tennis program is being discontinued, effective immediately.

ULM Director of Athletics John Hartwell says the decision was based on increased operational and infrastructure costs.

Hartwell says the university hopes the ending of this program will “enable ULM Athletics to continue progress towards balancing its budget while sponsoring 16 NCAA Division I FBS sports, the required NCAA minimum.”

“Discontinuing a sport is never an easy decision, nor one that we take lightly. We know this is tough for our student-athletes and our coaches, who have poured so much into our tennis program. We deeply appreciate the dedication, effort and passion shown by our student-athletes and coaching staff in the women’s tennis program over the years. We will prioritize as smooth a transition as possible for our student-athletes, whether they choose to transfer to compete at another institution or remain at ULM to complete their undergraduate degree. We are committed to being competitive in all of our sports while also operating in a fiscally responsible manner.”

ULM officials say the university will honor scholarship commitments for all women’s tennis student-athletes who wish to return to ULM through completion of their undergraduate coursework. As scholarship funds become available after tennis student-athletes transfer or graduate, the scholarship funds will be repurposed to other ULM women’s athletic teams.