{"id":664096,"date":"2026-05-12T08:47:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T08:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/664096\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T08:47:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T08:47:15","slug":"und-cuts-mens-womens-tennis-programs-dakota-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/664096\/","title":{"rendered":"UND Cuts Men\u2019s, Women\u2019s Tennis Programs \u2013 Dakota Student"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Andrea<\/a> <\/p>\n

Andrea Pineda (Sr.) and Christos Alex (Sr.) represented UND during the program\u2019s final season.<\/p>\n

GRAND FORKS\u00a0 \u2014 In the early hours on April 30, UND Athletics announced that it had decided to immediately cut men\u2019s and women\u2019s tennis programs. The reaction to the announcement was one of shock, confusion, and anger, as fans tried to process the loss of the program after a successful season.<\/p>\n

Looking Back<\/p>\n

The first cut of an athletics program since 2017 came just days after both teams appeared in their respective Summit League Championship Matches.<\/p>\n

In 2017, North Dakota faced a budget shortfall after the oil boom subsided and agricultural prices fell, significantly affecting agencies and organizations across the state. Then-Gov. Jack Dalrymple presided over statewide budget cuts, including a recommended ten-percent reduction in higher education spending through the General Fund.<\/p>\n

UND found itself backed into a corner, forced to make cuts on campus to abide by the state government\u2019s recommendations. University President Mark Kennedy announced in early 2017 that the athletics department would need to make over $1.3 million in cuts for the 2017-18 academic year.<\/p>\n

North Dakota was also in preparations to move from the Big Sky Conference to the Summit League in the fall of 2018, further complicating its predicament. UND, as a Summit League member, would need to abide by the minimum scholarship requirements set out by the conference, leaving even less money on the table for its sports to share.<\/p>\n

After deliberations led by Director of Athletics Brian Faison, Mark Kennedy announced that UND would cut three of its athletics programs: men\u2019s and women\u2019s swimming and diving, and women\u2019s hockey.<\/p>\n

The reactions were immediate.<\/p>\n

All of the programs had been historically successful, many pointed out on social media. In the hours following the announcement, current and former athletes took to Twitter to speak out against the decision. Many conversations centered on the women\u2019s hockey program, though swimmers also took to the site to share their feelings.<\/p>\n

\u201cHard to believe it\u2019s actually over,\u201d Katie Stover, a distance swimmer, said, summarizing the feelings of every athlete and staff member impacted.<\/p>\n

Through it all, UND\u2019s administration emphasized that it needed to comply with the directives and build for the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a sad day when opportunities for our student-athletes are reduced,\u201d said Brian Faison. \u201cThe university is going through campus-wide, state-mandated budget cuts. As a part of the university, we needed to do what is in the long-term, best interests of the university, as well as the best interests of the athletic department.\u201d<\/p>\n

Present Day<\/p>\n

The decision to cut North Dakota\u2019s tennis programs came in the same vein, though the financial landscape for NCAA Division I institutions has changed significantly since 2018. This time, UND had to weigh the price of keeping the tennis programs alive in the wake of\u00a0NCAA v. House\u00a0and Name, Image, and Likeness contracts, though \u2014 like in 2017 \u2014 it is also possible that the state also sees a slight budget shortfall with struggling agricultural prices and global conflict.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past five years, Division I athletics has experienced more change than the previous 30 years combined,\u201d said UND Director of Athletics Bill Chaves. \u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

When presented with the most recent NCAA financial report, UND\u2019s financial situation becomes clearer. In fiscal year 2025, the combined expenses of both programs totaled just over $1 million, while the combined revenue of the programs came in just over $70,000.<\/p>\n

Factoring in the reduction of schools fielding tennis programs in the Summit League and nationwide, the murky waters surrounding the discontinuance become even clearer. The drain that two varsity tennis programs would have put on UND in future years would become even more untenable.<\/p>\n

The university made it clear that athletes affected by the cuts will have their scholarships honored, though those who choose to leave will be supported in their move to the transfer portal.<\/p>\n

Funds from donors to the program may be redirected to other programs or initiatives of the contributors\u2019 choosing, said a Q&A document supplied by UND.<\/p>\n

\u201cUND is grateful for the passion and dedication shown by tennis alumni, fans, and supporters over the years,\u201d said a spokesperson, acknowledging the support and legacy that the programs will leave behind. Expanding further, the statement established the university\u2019s intent to honor the legacy of both programs through the UND Letterwinners Association Athletics Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Interested parties seeking further information are encouraged to contact Alec Stocker Johnson ([email\u00a0protected]<\/a>) with media inquiries.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anthony Dillett is a Dakota Student Sports Reporter. He can be reached at\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>\u00a0and on X\u00a0@adillettgf<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Andrea Pineda (Sr.) and Christos Alex (Sr.) represented UND during the program\u2019s final season. GRAND FORKS\u00a0 \u2014 In…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":664097,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[442],"tags":[49,48,82,593],"class_list":["post-664096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=664096"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664096\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/664097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=664096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=664096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=664096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}