Arkansas reinstates men's and women's tennis programs after donors provide short-term funding

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas tennis teams are back in business thanks to a short-term funding boost that the school's athletic director said “offers a viable path forward.”

Athletic director Hunter Yurachek said Thursday that he had meetings with alumni and stakeholders who support the programs and that donors provided short-term funding for the teams that were abruptly disbanded three weeks ago.

“Looking ahead, a significant endowment remains the only feasible long-term solution to ensure the sustainability of our tennis programs,” Yurachek said. “A dedicated group of supporters has committed to pursuing that goal.”

Yurachek said the athletic department and boosters would keep tabs on the funding effort to make sure it “does not detract from any of our broader fundraising priorities” and that it lends itself to a long-term solution for the programs.

Though other tennis programs at Saint Louis, Illinois State and North Dakota have been shuttered as schools struggle with growing financial strains in the revenue-sharing era, the disbandment of the programs at a well-funded SEC school sent bigger shockwaves through tennis and college sports in general.

Arkansas spent $2.35 million on the teams in fiscal 2025, which is about what a top school spends in name, image and likeness payments for a top football or basketball recruit.

The news of the reinstatement comes just a few days before the sport's NCAA championships conclude. The Arkansas men qualified for the tournament and lost to Cornell in the first round earlier this month, about a week after Yurachek had informed the team it would be discontinued.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports