Health Lyke, Director of Athletics at the University of Pittsburgh, announced Thursday that "an extremely difficult decision" was made to discontinue the women's tennis program at the school after the 2019 spring season.
Pitt Women's Tennis to be Discontinued https://t.co/PeCotYZdsm
— Pitt Athletics (@Pitt_ATHLETICS) January 10, 2019
"This was an extremely difficult decision that was reached only after considerable research and evaluation," Lyke said in a statement. "We have a responsibility to provide our student-athletes with the finest opportunities to compete and achieve at the highest levels. That, unfortunately, has not been the case with our women's tennis program. Our analysis concluded this is a hard but necessary decision to ensure the best student-athlete opportunities for growth and success in the future. I have personally pledged to each member of our tennis program that they will have our University's full support and assistance as they consider their future academic, athletic and personal pursuits."
The women's tennis team currently has seven student-athletes, four seniors and three underclassmen. The underclassmen will be allowed to stay on scholarship if they choice to remain at Pitt, as long as they continue to meet the guidelines set by the University and NCAA.
With the woman's team coming to an end, the school is prepped to sponsor women's lacrosse beginning in 2012-22.
"These decisions are never taken lightly. They are also very difficult," Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said. "We are attempting to balance what is best for the women in our tennis program with what is best for our University as a whole. And we've come to realize that continuing this program undermines our commitment to future student-athletes who should be receiving the highest quality opportunities to compete and win."
___Follow 93.7 The Fan: Facebook | Twitter | InstagramListen to 93.7 The Fan on the RADIO.COM App - Download Now
