Southern Utah Athletics Discontinues Men’s and Women’s Tennis Programs

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Southern Utah University and its athletic department announced that the Thunderbirds’ men’s and women’s tennis programs will be discontinued immediately.

SUU made its decision known on Tuesday, June 23.

“We are committed to providing our student-athletes with the best possible academic and athletic experience. By reducing the number of athletic offerings by two, we can provide a higher level of support to our students and improve the experience for our fans,” Southern Utah president, Scott L. Wyatt said in a statement.

The Thunderbirds’ athletic department said that they “will work to ensure that all student-athletes who wish to continue their tennis careers find a place where they can play next year.”

Southern Utah Discontinues Men’s and Women’s Tennis

>>> https://t.co/Mgd4Ri06p8 pic.twitter.com/e42w2ZdRsJ

— SUU Thunderbirds ⚡️ (@SUUThunderbirds) June 23, 2020

SUU announced that it will “continue to honor all athletic scholarships” for the players on the men’s and women’s tennis teams that decide to remain as students of the university.

The Thunderbirds are currently members of the Big Sky Conference and sponsor 17 sports. The majority of Big Sky schools sponsor 14 or 15 sports.

In a release, SUU said that “recent legislation passed by the Big Sky Conference gives member institutions more flexibility in regards to what sports they will sponsor, allowing this to be done without changing SUU’s status as a full-time member of the league.”