ORANGEBURG, S.C. – South Carolina State Acting Athletics Director Doug Robertson announced Friday that the Lady Bulldog tennis program will be suspended for the 2017-18 academic year as a part of the department’s ongoing efforts to control operational expenses.
“It was an extremely hard decision to suspend the women’s tennis program, but at this time, our current financial situation requires tough decisions to be made,” Robertson said. “At the moment, we are unable to fund the program in a manner that matches the championship caliber that the team deserves. We will provide the current members of the women’s team with scholarships for next year to assist them in pursuing their academic goals, while we actively seek ways to return them to athletic competition.”
The SC State women’s tennis team has won 11 of the last 12 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championships under head coach Hardeep Judge. Last season, the Lady Bulldogs finished 8-11 overall and 4-1 in MEAC play. They won the conference title and earned the MEAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
As a result of the decision, SC State Athletics has reduced its sports lineup to 13 teams. In order to maintain NCAA Division I status, Women’s Golf will be added in 2017-18.
Revised SC State Sports Offerings
Men’s Sports (6)
Basketball
Cross Country
Football
Indoor Track
Outdoor Track
Tennis
Women’s Sports (7)
Basketball
Cross Country
Indoor Track
Outdoor Track
Softball
Soccer
Volleyball
Courtesy: SC State Athletics
This is really sad. Why not cut a women’s team that wasn’t winning?