A new era begins for the Chestnut Hill College Men's Tennis program as the Griffins will become associate members of the Pennsylvania State athletic Conference in the sport beginning in the 2025-26 season as announced by the PSAC office on Thursday.
Chestnut Hill will be joined by fellow Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference school Jefferson University as associate members. Men's tennis in the CACC has experienced the loss of four programs over the past several years with institutions dropping the sport or merging with another school, leaving Jefferson and Chestnut Hill as the only two teams last season.
"We are pleased to welcome both Chestnut Hill and Jefferson as Associate Members in men's tennis," said PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray. "We have been strategic with our Associate Membership status in the past and this allows us to continue operating the sport of men's tennis as usual. It is critical that we maintain our automatic qualification into the Division II tournament as a conference, and these two institutions help strengthen that position for us."
"The PSAC's long history of exceptional Athletics speaks for itself," said Director of Athletics Jesse Balcer. "With that said, it is an honor to join this Conference as an associate member in the sport of men's tennis. I would like to thank Steve and all of the Athletic Directors who have agreed to allow Chestnut Hill College and Jefferson University to join the Conference. We look forward to competing with such prestigious institutions."
With the addition of both programs, the PSAC will now feature seven men's tennis programs for the next academic year. The Griffins and Rams join Bloomsburg University, West Chester University, Edinboro University, Kutztown University and Millersville University for the 2025-26 season.
Both programs have also competed frequently against PSAC competition. In 2024-25, Chestnut Hill faced off against Bloomsburg (twice), Kutztown, Millersville, and West Chester while Jefferson battled Kutztown, Millersville, and West Chester. Chestnut Hill and Jefferson also competed against each other three times in the 2024-25 season.
