Vanguard dropping tennis

Vanguard University announced Wednesday that it will discontinue men’s and women’s tennis, following the current spring season.

The Vanguard men (11-0, 6-0 in the Golden State Athletic Conference) are ranked No. 4 in the NAIA and have won 27 straight conference matches through Wednesday.

The Lions’ men’s program won the last two GSAC regular-season titles and advanced to the NAIA semifinals both years.

Coach Mattias Johansson, who has coached the men’s and women’s programs since 1996, guided the men’s team to a GSAC regular-season crown in 2000, as well as co-championships in 1999 and 1996. The Lions won the GSAC Tournament title in 1995.

The men’s program has compiled a 55-6 record from 2013 through the ongoing current campaign. It also reached the NAIA semifinals in 2004 and 2000 and is 294-143 through Wednesday under Johansson, a former standout player for the school who is a member of the Vanguard Athletics Hall of Fame.

The Vanguard women (3-7, 3-3) are ranked No. 15 and are the defending GSAC regular-season and tournament champion. They also won GSAC championships in 2005 and 2004.

Through Wednesday, the women’s program was 227-140 under Johansson.

“We are immensely grateful for the leadership of Coach Mattias Johansson,” Athletic Director Bob Wilson said in a statement. Wilson credited Johansson for producing 85 All-Americans and nearly 40 all-conference honorees during his tenure.

Without tennis, Vanguard will have five men’s and six women’s programs in the 2015-16 academic year.

Those programs include men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, cross country and track and field, as well as baseball, softball and women’s volleyball.

“The highly competitive athletic program at Vanguard University is continually committed to excellence in academics and holistic growth, both on and off the field,” said Dr. Doretha O’Quinn, Vanguard provost and vice president of academic affairs. “We know this mission will persist, even as the decision has been made to remove tennis from the Vanguard University athletic program.”

— Barry Faulkner