Press Release from Winthrop Athletics:
Winthrop University Athletics announced it has discontinued the sports of men’s and women’s tennis effective immediately following a vote by the Board of Trustees on Friday, July 19, 2020.
Currently enrolled students will retain their scholarships through the completion of their fourth academic year if they choose to remain at Winthrop. Per NCAA rules, the students are immediately eligible for competition if they transfer to another institution, provided they are academically eligible. The students that signed National Letters of Intent for the 2020-21 year will retain scholarships for the upcoming year if they enroll at Winthrop.
Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Ken Halpin has reached out to each of the students impacted and the department will help with the upcoming decisions and potential transitions. There are 12 returning students in the programs currently. There are three students who signed a National Letter of Intent with Winthrop Tennis this year.
“When I came to Winthrop I never thought for a second that this type of decision would have to be made,” stated Halpin. “Everyone at the university is heart-broken right now and our number-one focus is to take care of our student-athletes and coaches being directly impacted by this decision.”
Winthrop University has made this decision as a result of the COVID-19 financial impact, joining more than 148 other programs across all divisions and classifications of intercollegiate athletics.
“It’s very sad to see a program end, especially a successful one such as the Winthrop women’s tennis team,” said women’s tennis head coach Vivian Segnini. “I’m sorry for Cid Carvalho because I know all the work that he put for more than 30 years in order to build this program and I’m sorry for all the players that are so passionate about representing Winthrop and had their lives impacted by this decision.”
The women’s tennis program’s success includes 21 Big South Conference Championship titles (1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) and three runner-up finishes. No other league member, current or former, has won more than three tournament titles. The women have been regular-season champions 20 times. The program has earned 17 NCAA Tournament bids and in 2018 made program history with their first-ever NCAA win, a 4-3 victory over 20th-ranked Auburn.
“I am deeply saddened and disappointed in Winthrop’s decision to discontinue the men’s and women’s tennis programs,” said men’s tennis head coach John Collins. “There are so many incredible players, coaches, and people that have poured their hearts into this program and I am so thankful for each of them. The legacy of our Winthrop tennis family will live on as the bond in our program transcends tennis.”
The Winthrop men’s program captured nine regular season championships (1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2018), seven tournament titles (1997, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2015) and 12 runner-up finishes.
With the change, Winthrop will sponsor 16 NCAA sports, nine for women and seven for men, in addition to the non-NCAA ESports program.
- Why is now the right time for Winthrop to make this decision?
A. Winthrop has a long and proud athletics history. With recent elevated costs of Division 1 athletics, combined with financial limitations resulting from COVID-19, it became clear that Winthrop had a structural issue with athletics budgeting. That is to say, our current athletics budgeting model was no longer sustainable. Additionally, the Winthrop Memorial Tennis Courts are in dire need of substantial repairs, causing both programs to train and compete at off-campus locations. All of this has directly impacted the student-athlete experience for Winthrop Tennis. Due to these issues, now was the time to make this incredibly difficult decision. - Will Winthrop honor existing scholarships of the impacted student-athletes?
A. Yes. All athletics scholarships will be honored through the student’s fourth academic year in an undergraduate program at Winthrop. Should a student need more time to graduate, scholarship support will be reviewed on a case by case basis.Q. Will Winthrop honor scholarships for new incoming student-athletes in the impacted sports (first time in college, NLI signees and transfers)?
A. Yes. Signed national letters of intent and financial aid agreements for the 2020-21 academic year will be honored next year in an undergraduate program at Winthrop. Academic services will also be available to these students during the entirety of their enrollment at Winthrop.Q. What will Winthrop do now to handle the process with the impacted teams?
A. Our immediate priority will be supporting our tennis student-athletes. Just because this program will not continue, does not mean we are not committed to each of our students and their success. We will do everything possible to facilitate successful transitions to other tennis programs, or help them finish out their education at Winthrop. The VP for Intercollegiate Athletics, Senior Associate AD/SWA, and Deputy Athletics Director will ensure they remain accessible to each student and their families during this time.Q. Would Winthrop like for the impacted student-athletes to stay?
A. Yes, graduation is and always has been the number one goal of each of our student-athletes. We will continue to support these students with academic support, tutoring, and other support services throughout their undergraduate careers at Winthrop should they choose to stay enrolled.Q. Will Winthrop assist student-athletes who desire to transfer?
A. Yes. All affected student-athletes will receive full releases to transfer if requested. Additionally, Winthrop will appeal to the Big South Conference to waive the intraconference transfer rule should those students want to attend other Big South Conference member institutions. These student-athletes will be immediately eligible, provided they are academically eligible to compete.Q. Will student-athletes from the impacted sports have access to key support services such as academic counseling and sports medicine for continued rehabilitation purposes until graduation from Winthrop?
A. Yes. Sports medicine services and academic counseling will continue to be provided by Winthrop to these student-athletes. - What is the employment status of the coaches in the impacted sports?
A. The Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and the Office of Human Resources is working with the individual coaches to support them during this time. Due to privacy laws, we will not expand further.Q. Were other sports considered for elimination?
A. Multiple cost savings options were thoroughly evaluated by the university, we are hopeful this move will help ensure fiscal health for Winthrop Athletics in the future. No other sports are being considered for elimination at this time.Q. Will discontinuing these sports impact Winthrop’s Big South Conference affiliation?
A. No. Winthrop is still above the minimum for both Big South and NCAA Sport Sponsorship minimums. Winthrop remains committed to our membership in the Big South Conference.Q. How many student-athletes and coaches will be directly affected by this decision?
A. Approximately 12 current student-athletes along with 7 incoming freshmen and transfers. Additionally, there are two full-time staff impacted and 2 graduate assistants. Winthrop Athletics will work with the graduate school to best support the graduate assistants, we hope they will remain and finish their studies in Winthrop’s superior graduate school.Q. What will happen to the facilities used by the impacted sports?
A. The tennis courts will remain available for use by our Winthrop University staff and students and there will be additional discussions regarding potential access for Rock Hill residents and the City of Rock Hill.Q. Will club sports at Winthrop be an option for the impacted student-athletes?
A. Winthrop does not currently have club tennis. However, if any of the student-athletes wish to pursue this, Winthrop Athletics is committed to working with Student Affairs to see if this is a possibility as we support our students through this difficult transition. - Will the impacted sports be reinstated sometime in the future?
A. There is no plan to reinstate these sports.
