The Division I Men's and Women's Tennis Oversight Committee on Tuesday approved holding the men's and women's singles and doubles championships in the fall on a permanent basis.
The team championships will continue to be held in the spring.
The Division I Men's and Women's Tennis Championships are in the second year of a two-year pilot program during which the men's and women's singles and doubles championships took place in the fall of 2024 and 2025, while the team championships remained in the spring.
The committee evaluated the championships, along with membership feedback and support from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and United States Tennis Association, and decided it is the best path forward for the sport.
Part of the original rationale for the decision to hold the singles and doubles championships in the fall involved student-athlete well-being.
Under the previous format, student-athletes only in the singles and doubles championships could wait up to three weeks from the end of the regular season until they competed again. In addition, tennis student-athletes in both the team and individual championships could compete for nine of 10 days.
With so many matches in a short span, some student-athletes withdrew after selections and during the championships due to injury. Some student-athletes also withdrew directly after selections or after losing in the team tournament.
In 2023, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, which is the coaches association for college tennis, and the United States Tennis Association collaborated on a survey with the former Division I Men's and Women's Tennis Committee. The survey showed 68% of respondents favored the singles and doubles championships shifting to the fall. A winter 2026 NCAA survey of the coaches and conferences showed 75% in support of the shift to the fall.
