BREAKING: Rider men’s and women’s tennis programs on pause following their 2025-26 campaigns
By Joshua Yuhas
Despite success in recent years, Rider men’s and women’s tennis will be put on pause at the conclusion of the 2025-26 academic year.
According to a May 19 email, Rider President John Loyack cited the decision to suspend the programs as due to the “challenges of the current athletic landscape and the impact of the transfer portal when a small mid-major has success.”
In a June 2 email to The Rider News, Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff for Student Experience Mary-Alice Ozechoski continued, saying, “The tennis team has been put on pause because, after a very successful season, a large number of players transferred out via the NCAA portal. We simply did not have the numbers. We are hopeful we can recruit for fall 2026.”
The men’s tennis team in their 2025-26 campaign ended with a 12-8 record, winning the program’s first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament in program history, which also earned the program’s first ever NCAA Tournament appearance with the automatic bid.
In a historic season, the program won their first major award with sophomore Cole Thurger winning MAAC Player of the Year, leading the charge for five total All-MAAC selections and three total First Team All-MAAC honors, which each set program records.
During the 2025-26 women’s tennis season, their team also made program history, earning their first major award when freshman Lisa Dierick took home the MAAC Rookie of the Year honor.
Additionally, in the season prior, the women’s team made history with their first appearance in the conference tournament in 15 years.
The success of each program in recent seasons has been clear. However, financial struggles and the continued battle with the transfer portal in the modern athletics industry suspend these programs indefinitely.
This is a developing story that will be updated with more information.
