NEW MC TENNIS PROGRAM ANNOUNCED
Release Date: October 29, 2001
Monmouth College has not competed in intercollegiate tennis
for nearly a decade, but that will soon change as new courts will be built and varsity teams
will be formed next year. A motion made by the Student Affairs Committee to add tennis was
approved earlier this month by the faculty and will increase the number of Fighting Scots’
varsity sports to 18.
Six outdoor tennis courts will be built on the northwest
corner of campus at East Euclid Ave. and North Sixth St. Construction on those courts will
begin in the spring and will be completed by August, when the women’s tennis team begins
practice. The number of courts on campus will increase to 10 when four indoor courts are added
as part of Monmouth’s proposed $21 million recreation complex.
“We’re very pleased to provide another intercollegiate
opportunity for our students,” said athletic director Dr. Terry Glasgow, who added that tennis
will bring another 10-15 students to Monmouth each year. “The new courts will be an advantage
that former tennis teams at Monmouth didn’t have.”
Dennis Mann, who is expected to win his 100th game as
Monmouth College’s women’s basketball coach during the 2001-02 season, will coach both the
women’s and men’s tennis teams. The women, who play in the fall, will be resurrecting a team
that existed from 1974-91. Men’s tennis began as a team sport in 1928 and the Scots last
fielded a squad in 1992. There were three interruptions in the men’s tennis program, as the
Scots didn’t field a team from 1933-36, from 1943-45 and in 1986.
“The rest of the coaches in the conference are excited about
us coming back,” said Mann, who attended a Midwest Conference tennis meeting earlier this
month. “I’m excited, too. It’s going to be very enjoyable to work with college athletes year
round.”
When the men’s team begins play in the spring of 2003, it
will mark the first time in over 25 years that Mann hasn’t coached track and field. He’s spent
the better part of the past two decades leading Warren High School’s boys’ track team.
“Coaching men will be something different for me, but it’s
time to make a change,” said Mann, who picked up tennis when he was in college and has
continued to play the sport as an adult.
Mann expects Monmouth will be able to field competitive teams
from the outset, and he cited the new courts as a chief reason.
“The indoor courts are going to be a big draw,” he said.
“We’ve already contacted a lot of high schools and told them we’ll be offering tennis at
Monmouth. We’re beginning to get some recommendations from coaches on players that will be a
good match for our program, so the recruiting process is underway.
“I’m sure the first year will be a learning experience, as we
figure out the level of competition around us,” Mann continued. “But we’re focusing on high
school programs that are constantly at the state tournament, plus we already have a few
students on campus who are strong players. We want to be competitive right from the
beginning.”
“I’m sure that Dennis will bring a new dimension to the
program,” concluded Glasgow. “We’re very pleased that tennis is back and supported by the
administration and faculty."
Released
by the Office of College Communications
Barry McNamara, Associate Director of College Communications
Phone: 309-457-2117
Fax: 309-457-2330
|
