St. Cloud female tennis players sue university
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Updated 1:10 p.m. | Posted 11:30 a.m.
Some members of the St. Cloud State University women's tennis team are suing the school, alleging it has offered more athletic opportunities for men.
Women's tennis is one of the six athletic programs St. Cloud plans to cut for budgetary reasons at the end of the school year. The plaintiffs ask a federal judge to issue an injunction preventing the university from eliminating any women's sports team until the lawsuit is resolved.
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The plaintiffs include five of the six underclassmen on the team, who are asking for class action status on behalf of future female athletes. The St. Cloud Times says the lawsuit accuses the university of having 116 more athletic opportunities for men than for women during each of the last 12 years.
St. Cloud State spokesperson Adam Hammer said the university had no immediate comment.
The university has said it will eliminate men's and women's tennis, women's Nordic skiing, men's cross country, and men's indoor and outdoor track and field. The changes are expected to save $250,000 annually.
The school competes at the NCAA Division II level in all sports but hockey, which is Division I.