NCAA Places Oklahoma State Women's Tennis on Probation for Tampering

STILLWATER – One of the most successful programs in Oklahoma State athletics in recent years, the Cowgirls tennis program has been placed on probation by the NCAA. The program is facing three years of probation for recruiting violations regarding illegally contacting athletes, per release. This news was first reported by College Tennis Nation on their social media site.

The report states that the NCAA found that Oklahoma State director of tennis and women’s head tennis coach Chris Young improperly contacted transfers and told a player not to cooperate with investigators, violating head coach responsibility rules. 

The report also outlined these penalties for the program, some of which have already been enacted during the investigation and deliberation of the committee.

Three years of probation.

A fine of $35,000, plus 1% of the women’s tennis program budget.

A reduction by 18% of the average number of official visits (based on the previous four years).

The school prohibited unofficial visits for 10 weeks during spring 2025.

The school prohibited the women’s tennis program from recruiting communications for a total of three weeks during the 2024-25 academic year. The school will prohibit recruiting communications for an additional seven weeks during the 2025-26 academic year.

The school prohibited the women’s tennis program from off-campus recruiting for 10 weeks during the 2024-25 academic year.

A four-year show-cause order for Young, during which time he cannot communicate with prospective transfers in December for each year of the order. Additionally, Young will be suspended from two regular-season contests during the 2025-26 season. He has already been suspended by the school for 10 contests, including 100% of the fall 2024 season.

The total suspension of 12 contests equates to approximately 50% of the regular season.

Vacation of team wins and records in which the ineligible student-athletes competed.

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

CHris Young has had a lot of success on the court and in recruiting. 

Several coaches took photos of the improper contact happening in person and reported them to the NCAA enforcement office. I’ve actually seen the photos and it was hard in my estimation to tell if an extensive conversation was even being held. One photo showed Young and a potential student-athlete being tampered with not even facing each other.

The violations reportedly that Young and the program were deemed responsible for include:

• Initiating contact with athletes before they officially entered the transfer portal
• Having team members act as go-betweens
• Repeatedly failing to follow or understand NCAA transfer contact rules

Oklahoma State has gone 51-9 the past two seasons, 29-1 in the 2023-24 season where they won the ITA Indoor Collegiate Championship and 22-8 this past season where they went to the NCAA Elite Eight and lost in the quarterfinals to Michigan. 

Oklahoma State Athletics

Sources told Pokes Report that Safiya Carrington, once an NIL reporter for the site that she was involved in the investigation.

The notable transfers during the past two seasons include Kylie Collins (LSU/Texas), Gracie Epps (Georgia), and Marcela Lopez (Utah) from this past season. In the 2023-24 season Safiya Carrington (LSU) was a major addition to the team through the transfer portal. In this most recent offseason Oklahoma State has added former UCF player and the Big 12 Player of the Year in Olivia Lincer. 

Chris Young reportedly received a four-year show cause as part of the NCAA penalties. Young has been at Oklahoma State heading up women’s tennis for 15-years. A native of Norman, Oklahoma, Young has compiled a career record of 458-206, while directing the OSU women and the men’s and women’s programs at both Wichita State and his alma mater, Oklahoma Christian. Young now holds a 269-112 record with the Cowgirls.

So far there has been no comment from Oklahoma State University or OSU athletics on the situation.