UND cuts men's and women's tennis

Q: Why did UND cut its men's and women's tennis programs?

UND cut both tennis programs due to the need to adapt to changes in Division-I athletics and to reallocate resources.

Q: What other schools have recently cut their tennis programs?

Other schools that have cut tennis programs include Arkansas, St. Louis University, and Illinois State.

Q: What achievements did the UND tennis teams have before being cut?

Both the men's and women's tennis teams reached the Summit League championship before their programs were eliminated.

Apr. 30—GRAND FORKS — A week after the UND men's and women's tennis programs reached their highest points in program history, they're both gone.

UND announced Thursday that it is cutting both men's and women's tennis, joining a wave of NCAA schools that have eliminated the sport this month.

Arkansas, St. Louis University and Illinois State are among other programs that have announced in recent days their intentions to cut tennis.

"This is a difficult day for our department and our community," UND athletic director Bill Chaves said in a statement. "Over the past five years, Division-I athletics has experienced more change than the previous 30 years combined. This has required us to adapt to a new landscape by reinventing the way we operate our athletic department as well as analyzing the existing resources we have and reallocating those resources moving forward. We are grateful for everything our student-athletes have contributed to our campus and remain committed to supporting them through this transition."

Both the men's and women's programs reached the Summit League championship on Saturday, falling to the University of Denver in the final.

UND says the decision is due to financial reasons.

"The decision was made after a comprehensive review of the university's athletics portfolio, financial sustainability and long-term strategic priorities," UND said in a statement. "UND is focused on ensuring the strength and competitiveness of its remaining programs while maintaining responsible stewardship of resources."

According to UND's most recent NCAA report, men's tennis expenses totaled $428,630. For women's tennis, they totaled $600,928.

The men's tennis team had about four scholarships for an eight-player roster. The women's team had about eight scholarships for an eight-player roster.

UND says it will honor scholarships to tennis athletes who choose to remain in Grand Forks for their academic careers.

UND has cut six sports teams in the last 11 years — men's and women's tennis (2026), women's hockey (2017), men's and women's swimming and diving (2017) and baseball (2016).

UND now sponsors 15 varsity sports — seven men's teams and eight women's teams.

The move precludes UND from moving to the FBS level for football — as rival North Dakota State will do this fall — without adding a sport. FBS membership requires sponsoring 16 sports. FCS/Division-I requires 14.

The Summit League is now down to three men's tennis teams with Denver leaving for the West Coast Conference next year and UND and Illinois State cutting their programs. Omaha, Oral Roberts and Drake are the remaining teams.

The Summit League has five women's programs left — South Dakota, Kansas City, St. Thomas, Oral Roberts and Omaha.

This is the second time UND has cut men's tennis.

It previously cut the program in 1990, when UND was at the Division-II level. UND brought it back in 2012 when it joined the Big Sky Conference. Tennis was a core sport required for Big Sky members.

UND initially didn't have any scholarships for men's tennis and recruited a heavily local roster.

As scholarships and Alston money were added, UND's program became international and grew in prominence. They reached the Summit League final the last two seasons.

The UND women reached the Summit League final in 2023 and 2026.