MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas University and its athletic department are pleased to announce the renewal of the men's and women's tennis programs starting in the fall of 2018. The programs will join SAU's current 12-sport offerings and will compete both in the fall and spring semesters with the team championship season being in the spring.
 
The renewal announcement of the tennis programs was made by SAU President, Dr. Trey Berry and SAU Director of Athletics, Steve Browning on Thursday. As part of the announcement of the programs returning, it was also announced that the University is in the process of securing a bid for a multi-phase tennis complex that is to be constructed in the near future. Phase One will include an eight-court playing surface with Phase Two including team locker rooms, coaches' offices and public restrooms.
 
"Bringing back the tennis program at SAU has been part of our planning for some time now," remarked Dr. Berry. "We listened carefully to the SAU student body, alumni, and staff members who have voiced their desire to renew tennis as a varsity sport on campus. During the next few months, we will be engaged in renovating our tennis facilities in preparation for our new teams. We look forward to the great opportunities these programs will afford our students and our campus."
 
"We are committed to elevating the overall success of Mulerider Athletics and bringing back our tennis programs is a continued effort toward that relentless goal," added Browning. "It is exciting to be able to revive another sport that has had a storied history on our campus, and we are eager to add to that history as well."
 
Tennis at SAU has had a long and storied history with a combined 15 conference championships and over 100 all-conference players between the men's and women's programs. Last competing in the 1992-93 season, the men's program was a dominant fixture atop the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC) in the 1980s with seven conference titles in that decade alone. Additionally, the men's tennis program captured consecutive District 17 crowns in 1988 and 1989.
 
On the women's side, a majority of the success occurred over a 10-year period beginning in the late 1960s. During that time, the women's program was a perennial contender in the Arkansas Women's Intercollegiate Sports Association (AWISA) with a team championship in 1968 and a runner-up finish in 1973. Additionally, the program saw a singles championship in 1973 and doubles titles in 1969 and 1973. SAU last fielded a women's tennis program in 2011-12.
 
The nationwide search for a head coach for both programs is currently underway