SAU dedicates newly renovated tennis courts
Southern Arkansas University recently named its newly-renovated tennis courts as the Live Oaks Tennis Courts and the Oliver M. Clegg Championship Court.
The ceremony was attended by tennis alumni and university supporters, including Magnolia attorney Carolyn Clegg, whose father was Oliver M. Clegg, and her husband, Roger Giles, vice president for administration and general counsel at SAU.
Oliver Clegg graduated from Magnolia High School and received his degree from Magnolia A&M, now SAU, in 1938. He earned a law degree from the University of Arkansas in 1941. After serving in the Army, he returned to Magnolia in 1946 to practice law and raise his family and was recognized as an SAU Distinguished Alumnus in 1992. He learned to play tennis on a grass court at his uncle’s house in Forest, Miss., and tennis became a lifelong passion.
Steve Browning, SAU director of athletics, and Greg Owen, the new head coach of men’s and women’s tennis, also spoke at the ceremony held at the revitalized sports complex located adjacent to and behind the W.T. Watson Center and the Aquatic Center.
SAU President Dr. Trey Berry said the university has renewed its tennis program with the hiring of Owen and the active recruitment of new student players. “We have a great group of men and women here that are excited and ready to put the necessary work in for us to be successful,” Owen said. “Expectations for both teams are very high, but our focus will be on taking care of each day and our improvement.”
The renovation of the tennis courts will be completed in two phases, with the first phase including an eight-court layout, new black vinyl fencing, new netting and sidewalks and LED lighting. Fundraising efforts are already underway for phase two, which will include a tennis locker room and coach’s office facility.
The tennis program joins the 12 Mulerider athletic sports programs, which compete in the NCAA Division II Great American Conference. Browning said SAU remains dedicated to elevating the success of Mulerider Athletics and that tennis will contribute to that goal.
The complex will be open for campus and community play during the following hours:
n 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday
n 6:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. Monday through Friday
n 7 a.m. to 12 a.m. Saturday and Sunday
Times are subject to change and SAU events take priority in scheduling.
Tennis has a long history at SAU, with a combined 15 conference championships and more than 100 all-conference players between the men’s and women’s programs. The men’s team sat atop the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference in the 1980s with seven conference titles. The program also captured consecutive District 17 crowns in 1988 and 1989.
The women’s program was a perennial contender in the Arkansas Women’s Intercollegiate Sports Association with a team championship in 1968 and a runner-up finish in 1973. The program earned a singles championship in 1973 and doubles titles in 1969 and 1973. SAU last fielded a women’s tennis program in 2011-12.