Apr. 14, 2003

Charleston, SC - For the third consecutive spring, The Citadel will host the Southern Conference Men's and Women's Tennis Championships on April 16-19. This marks the sixth time in the history of Southern Conference tennis that The Citadel will host the men's event and third time for the women's tournament.

Matches will take place at the Donald C. Bunch Courts at the Earle Tennis Center on The Citadel's campus and at the City of Charleston Tennis Center on Farmfield Road. East Tennessee State University captured the men's championship last year and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, while Furman captured the women's championship title.

"We welcome the event and are pleased the conference has decided that The Citadel has again been chosen to host the annual tournament," commented Citadel head coach Toby Simpson.

The Citadel will begin tournament play at the City of Charleston Tennis Center on Farmfield Road on Wednesday afternoon, April 03, at 1 pm against Davidson. The Bulldogs have played host to the Southern Conference Tournament in 1961, 1975, 1982 and 2001, 2002, while winning the school's only conference tennis championship in 1961.

The Citadel served as co-host institution of the 2003 Mountain Dew Southern Conference Basketball Championships last month with the first two rounds of the women's tournament being held at McAlister Field House. In May, The Citadel will once again host the Southern Conference Baseball Championship for the 14th consecutive year.

"Charleston is a destination city and we're pleased to be involved with the hosting of these championships," said Director of Athletics Les Robinson. "Our goal is to make these events a positive experience for the student-athletes first and foremost, but we're also sensitive to making sure that the traveling families and spectators have a good time, too."