Junior Kinsey Lockhart goes to hit the ball during the Pro AM game on Saturday, April 12 in Denver. Photo by Mariana Ortega Rivera | mortegar@msudenver.edu.
Athletes face tough transitions as MSU focuses resources on other sports
By Elena Maldonado and Mariana Ortega Rivera | emaldo10@msudenver.edu, mortegar@msudenver.edu
The MSU Denver Athletics department has decided to discontinue both its men's and women’s tennis programs after the spring season.
In an article with Early Bird, MSU’s official communication channel for faculty and staff members, Director of Athletics Todd Thurman said the decision was made after an evaluation of program sustainability, which will allow the University to focus limited resources on its 14 remaining varsity sports.
This decision left 18 players from both teams to determine whether to transfer to other universities to finish their college tennis careers or to finish their degrees at MSU but no longer compete.
MSU Tennis Coach Bruno Campos came to the U.S. as a college student athlete before graduating and then becoming a coach. Campos coached both the men’s and women’s tennis teams. Bruno expressed his optimism for the timing of this difficult decision for the Roadrunners Athletics. The team was notified in January about the decision, and not only did it give them focus on the season, it gave the kids enough time to look for a new opportunity. “It gave us enough time to see what is next,” he said.
Campos said the program was discontinued because “just last week, a big tennis school, Dallas Baptist, they dropped the program, men and women. And it comes down to funds. It's all money. So let's keep this short, answering your question, but it's all about its money.”
The two tennis teams had multiple international students who came to MSU Denver for the tennis program. “The people that were here, everyone has a really unique story and comes from a different background, that’s what’s amazing about all these international students and people from all over the US,” said MSU Denver Tennis athlete Hanna Haber, “They just come from different lives and we’ve all grown into this special moment together.”
Most of the student athletes are not from Colorado and have faced challenges of being away from home. Some of the athletes have part-time jobs in addition to competing in athletics. There was a lot of time dedicated to community service for the tennis program. “They’re always willing to get out of their comfort zone to make an impact,” said Campos.
Haber gave thanks to her first coach Josh Graetz. “He really guided me into this program, showing me what it really means to be a Roadrunner.” She explained that the tennis program is dedicated to community service. “ [Graetz] really emphasized community service. So giving back to the community is something that’s always been prominent in the tennis program.”
The tennis program is the only reason Haber chose to come to MSU Denver. Her senior year during COVID, she reached out to multiple coaches, but after emailing with Graetz back and forth and visiting the school, she fell in love with the school. “Our courts are right there, you can see the mountains, the train, and the city. It's like, it's just such a cool thing. And I loved it.”
Senior Maximo Lawlor plays during the Pro AM game on Saturday, April 12 in Denver. Photo by Mariana Ortega Rivera | mortegar@msudenver.edu.
After the decision, Colorado State University reached out to Haber to recruit her. She will be finishing her last year of university at CSU. For some of the juniors on the team, it is harder for them to transfer their credits somewhere else where they can continue playing tennis. “It becomes tricky. Especially some of our kids who wanted to stay in the state of Colorado, but it's just tough, as we don't have too many tennis programs in the state. I feel like most of them were going to try to stay and graduate from MSU. The others, most of them, were transferring out. So they should be all safe,” said Campos.
Both Haber and Campos said that the family aspect that the two teams built was a big part of their time here at MSU Denver. “You have people having your back, supporting you, loving you, trying to push you to get to the next level,” said Campos. “What being on the team meant for me was really having a family here,” said Haber, “We were always like one big family.”
“I'm just very sad that nobody will ever be able to experience the greatness of Metro tennis, because it's brought me so much joy. I had the best three years of my life here. I've grown so much,” Haber added.
