BIDDEFORD, Maine – University of New England Director of Athletics Heather Davis has announced that women's tennis and men's tennis will become varsity sports number 20 and 21 during the 2025-26 academic year.

The respective Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship seasons are split within the academic calendar, with women's tennis occurring in the fall season and men's tennis in the spring season. Per NCAA policy for the sport of tennis, teams may also have countable competition during the season opposite of the conference championship. The NCAA Division III Championships for both genders occur in May of the academic year.

Next year, before UNE joins, the CCC will have eight institutions sponsoring women's teams and nine on the men's side.

"Women's tennis and men's tennis are in perfect alignment with championship offerings in the CCC, and so we are really looking forward to getting these programs up and running," Davis shared. "As this will make six varsity sport additions in a decade, we are fortunate to be in a period of unprecedented growth here at UNE."

A national search will begin immediately for the one head coach of the tennis programs.

Also slated to start this summer, renovations will be made on the four existing Biddeford Campus tennis courts built in 2016 (located at 11 Old Pool Road), and two new courts, plus a press box and lights, will be added to the facility.

UNE has had a club sport of coed tennis available to the student body since 2017.

UNE's 18 varsity sports will increase by one in 2024-25 when women's golf begins competing. Most recently, additions were made in the form of women's track & field in 2020-21, football in 2018-19, women's rugby in 2016-17, and women's ice hockey in 2012-13.

Inquiries about either tennis program should be directed to athletics@une.edu.