The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced today the teams that will compete in the 2009 MEAC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, April 17-19, at the Millbrook Tennis Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.  

Delaware State, Hampton, Howard, and Morgan State qualified from the MEAC northern division to compete for the women’s title while Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, North Carolina A&T and South Carolina State will compete from the MEAC southern division.

The reigning MEAC champion South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs (11-4, 4-0 MEAC) captured the southern divisional title with a sweep of its divisional counterparts. The Hampton Lady Pirates (7-6, 5-0 MEAC) finished atop the standings for the second straight season to earn the northern divisional title.

On the men’s side, Delaware State, Hampton, Howard and Morgan State qualified from the northern division. Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, South Carolina State and Norfolk State will compete for the men’s title from the southern division.

The South Carolina State Bulldogs (11-4), winners of four of the last five MEAC championships, earned the southern divisional title with an unblemished 3-0 conference mark. The Hampton Pirates (6-6) concluded their conference season with a 5-0 record en route to the northern divisional title.

Only the top four teams in each division are eligible to compete for the conference title. Coppin State and Maryland Eastern Shore men’s and women’s teams along with Norfolk State’s women’s team have been eliminated from tournament play based on their conference finish. Seedings for the tournament will be announced at a later date.

The MEAC Tennis Championships will begin on Friday, April 17 at 8:30 a.m. Tennis action continues on Saturday with semifinal play beginning 8:30 a.m. for the women and noon for the men. The championships will conclude on Sunday, April 19 beginning at 9 a.m. with the women’s championship final. The men’s championship final will follow at 11:30 a.m. The event is free and open to the public.