ULM drops women's tennis amid athletic department financial constraints
MONROE, La. (AP) — The women's tennis program at Louisiana-Monroe has been disbanded because of financial constraints at the university's athletic department.
Athletics Director John Hartwell announced this week that the decision stemmed from 'increased operational and infrastructure costs' and will help ULM athletics 'to continue progress towards balancing its budget' while maintaining an NCAA-required minimum of 16 NCAA Division I sports.
'Discontinuing a sport is never an easy decision, nor one that we take lightly,' Hartwell said. 'We know this is tough for our student-athletes and our coaches, who have poured so much into our tennis program.'
Hartwell said ULM will honor the scholarships of those who want to complete their degrees without transferring elsewhere. He said his administration also will help those tennis players who want to continue to compete to pursue opportunities at other schools.
'We will prioritize as smooth a transition as possible for our student-athletes,' Hartwell said.
As women's tennis athletes graduate or transfer, scholarship funds that had been dedicated to them will be redirected to other remaining women's sports teams at ULM.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
37 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Conservation group makes $60M land deal to end mining threat outside Okefenokee Swamp
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A conservation group said Friday it has reached a $60 million deal to buy land outside the Okefenokee Swamp from a mining company that environmentalists spent years battling over a proposed mine that opponents feared could irreparably damage an ecological treasure. The Conservation Fund said it will buy all 7,700 acres (31.16 square kilometers) that Alabama-based Twin Pines owns outside the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Georgia, halting the company's mining plans.
Winnipeg Free Press
43 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Conservation group makes $60M land deal to end mining threat outside Okefenokee Swamp
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A conservation group said Friday it has reached a $60 million deal to buy land outside the Okefenokee Swamp from a mining company that environmentalists spent years battling over a proposed mine that opponents feared could irreparably damage an ecological treasure. The Conservation Fund said it will buy all 7,700 acres (31.16 square kilometers) that Alabama-based Twin Pines owns outside the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Georgia, halting the company's mining plans. 'It's a big undertaking, but it was also an existential threat to the entire refuge,' said Stacy Funderburke, the Conservation Fund's vice president for the central Southeast. 'We've done larger deals for larger acres, but dollar-wise this is the largest deal we've ever done in Georgia.' A Twin Pines spokesman did not immediately respond to an email message seeking comment. Twin Pines of Birmingham, Alabama, had worked since 2019 to obtain permits to mine titanium dioxide, a pigment used to whiten products from paint to toothpaste, less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the southeastern boundary of the Okefenokee refuge near the Georgia-Florida line. The Okefenokee is the largest U.S. refuge east of the Mississippi River, covering nearly 630 square miles (1,630 square kilometers) in southeast Georgia. It is home to abundant alligators, stilt-legged wood storks and more than 400 other animal species. The mine appeared to be on the cusp of winning final approval early last year. Georgia regulators issued draft permits in February 2024 despite warnings from scientists that mining near the Okefenokee's bowl-like rim could damage its ability to hold water and increase the frequency of withering droughts. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Twin Pines insisted it could mine without damaging the swamp. Regulators with the Georgia Department of Environmental Protection agreed, concluding last year that mining should have a 'minimal impact' on the refuge. The agency revealed recently that work on final permits had stalled because Twin Pines had yet to submit a surety bond or equivalent financial assurance to show that it had $2 million set aside for future restoration of the mining site. It said the company was informed of the requirement 16 months ago.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cubs legend Sammy Sosa returns to Wrigley Field after 20-plus year hiatus
CHICAGO (AP) — Legendary Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa returned to Wrigley Field for the first time in more than 20 years on Friday before Chicago's afternoon game with the Seattle Mariners. Sosa, who is set to be inducted into the Cubs' team Hall of Fame this year, arrived at the iconic North Side ballpark in a black SUV. He was greeted by owner Tom Ricketts, who embraced him in a hug as he exited the vehicle. Sosa became the face of the Cubs franchise where he played 13 seasons after coming in a trade from the crosstown White Sox in March 1992. A seven-time All-Star, Sosa hit 545 homers in 1,811 games with the Cubs and hit a franchise-record 66 in 1998 when he was named the NL's MVP. Sosa, now 56, played his final game with the Cubs at Wrigley on Oct. 2, 2004, when he homered and had two hits in an 8-6 loss to Atlanta. During his years with the Cubs, Sosa appeared to bulk up drastically and was a headliner in a generation of baseball's biggest names linked to performance-enhancing drugs. The Cubs traded him to Baltimore with cash in February 2005 for three players. Sosa appeared to acknowledge using performance-enhancing drugs in December when he released a statement saying he was sorry for mistakes, without specifying them. 'There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games,' he said in the statement. 'I never broke any laws. But in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. On Friday morning, Sosa posed for photos with rising Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong outside the team's clubhouse and a video showed Sosa embracing manager Craig Counsell in his office before the game. The Cubs remained mum, however, on any ceremony or event before or during Friday's game. In Thursday's 8-7 loss to Milwaukee, Crow-Armstrong went deep to set a new team record for reaching 20 homers and 20-plus stolen stolen bases the fastest, doing it in 73 games. Sosa had the old mark of 96, set in 1994. ___ AP MLB:
