University of La Verne Interim Athletic Director Julie Kline announced today that the men’s and women’s tennis programs will be placed on hiatus at the conclusion of the 2009 season.
Kline said the decision was based on issues related to appropriate facilities necessary for tennis within the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). She also touched on an inability to provide student-athletes of both programs a level of participation and competition consistent with the established tenets and goals for intercollegiate athletics at La Verne.
“It is our sincere hope that in the future we will reinstate both men’s and women’s tennis,” Kline said. “In order to do so, we must be able to fully support these programs with facilities, which are at a minimum competitive with other SCIAC member schools, with full-time staffing for the programs, and with budgets which allow our coaches and student-athletes to compete at the highest levels.”
In an effort to compensate for the reduction of parking spaces due to construction of the new Campus Center, the university closed its campus tennis facility in August 2007 to convert it into a temporary parking lot. A new tennis facility is included in the partnership between the university and the City of La Verne to establish a joint-use sports complex on 28 acres of undeveloped land located a mile from the main campus.
The La Verne City Council, acting in its capacity as the La Verne Redevelopment Agency, recently voted to approve an amendment to the original Disposition and Development Agreement, providing the university a five-year extension to complete the initial facilities.
In her announcement, Kline emphasized that the decision to place the men’s and women’s tennis programs on hiatus was in no way intended to diminish the efforts and accomplishments of those involved. Over the years numerous student-athletes, coaches and support staff involved with the tennis program have excelled and represented the university admirably. She thanked her staff for their participation.
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