Manhattanville College Cuts Tennis Programs

The school that once hosted tennis greats including John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg at professional tournaments, has decided to cut its own tennis program.

Manhattanville College announced this week it will cut its men's and women's varsity programs after a unanimous vote from the school's Athletics Advisory Board. The school has a substantial tennis history, hosting the Citibank Championships, a stop on the International ATP Champions Tour, from 1997-99.

Citing a variety of reasons for the change, Manhattanville Athletic Director Keith Levinthal said a major influence on the decision was the Middle Atlantic Conference's move this spring requiring hard courts to host conference games.

Manhattanville had moved to Har-Tru courts in 1997 to accommodate the Citibank Championships. In order to host conference events the school would have been forced to abandon its on-campus courts and search for off-campus facilities, according to a statement from the school.

The men’s program finished the 2011-12 season with a 3-9 (3-2 Freedom) record, while the women’s team finished the year 2-9 (0-5 Freedom).

The decision to cut the programs leaves Manhattanville with 20 Division III varsity programs.