St. Thomas reinstates women’s tennis program after lawsuit threatened; men’s program still cut

The University of St. Thomas said Thursday that it has decided not to cut its women’s tennis program after all.

Last month, the university announced it would eliminate its men’s and women’s varsity tennis programs at the end of the academic year, saying it was "unable to adequately provide the conditions necessary" for the programs to compete at the Division I level.

However, after that announcement, members of the women’s tennis team threatened a Title IX lawsuit against the university.

St. Thomas said it was Title IX compliant as a Division III athletics program and will remain compliant as it moves to Division I. However, the university said it recognized it would be "extremely costly and time-consuming" fighting a Title IX lawsuit, and it determined it would rather invest its resources in student initiatives, including the women’s tennis program.

The men’s program, however, will not be reinstated, the university said.

The university said it will determine how to best support the women’s tennis program, including exploring support from community partners, boosters and donors as part of this process.

"To affirm its commitment to providing an equitable experience for all athletes as the University transitions to Division I, St. Thomas will conduct a gender equity review this year. The University will develop and adopt, no later than March 15, 2022, a gender equity plan to demonstrate that all aspects of its intercollegiate athletic programs will remain in compliance with Title IX during future years," St. Thomas said.