FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas tennis program is back in business, thanks to a short-term funding boost the school’s athletic director said “offers a viable path forward” for the men’s and women’s teams.
Razorbacks AD Hunter Yurachek said Thursday that he had meetings with alumni and stakeholders who support the program and that donors provided limited 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 college tennis programs at Illinois State, North Dakota and Saint Louis have been shuttered as schools struggle with growing financial strains in the revenue-sharing era, the disbandment of the programs at a well-funded Southeastern Conference school sent bigger shock waves through tennis and college sports in general.
Arkansas spent $2.35 million on its tennis teams in fiscal 2025, which is about what a top school spends in name, image and likeness payments for a single highly rated recruit in football or men’s basketball.
The news of the reinstatement comes just a few days before the NCAA Division I tennis tournaments conclude. The Arkansas men qualified for the tournament but lost to Cornell in the first round earlier this month, about a week after Yurachek had informed the team it would be discontinued.