Loh cuts swimming and diving, men’s track and cross country, men’s tennis, women’s water polo, and acrobatics and tumbling
Maryland President Wallace Loh has rubber-stamped the recommendation to drop eight sports teams. Men’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track, swimming and diving and tennis will be discontinued along with women’s acrobatics and tumbling, swimming and diving, and water polo. The move is effective on July 1, 2012 with all scholarships and coach’s contracts honored.
It took Loh 10 days to render his decision after the President’s Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics delivered its recommendation. Loh will hold a press conference today at 2 p.m.
Loh has agreed to a save-the-teams initiative by athletic director Kevin Anderson. Supporters of any discontinued teams will be given the opportunity to raise “eight years’ worth of total program costs” by June 30. Anderson will dedicate two senior development staff members to the effort and the Terps’ M Club has committed $1 million.
In his report on his recommendations, Anderson outlined what it would take to save each of the teams – women’s swimming and diving ($6.5 million), men’s swimming and diving ($5 million), acrobatics and tumbling ($5.3 million), water polo ($4.2 million), men’s track ($4.2 million), men’s tennis ($3.8 million) — a total of $29 million.
Title IX complicates any save-the-team effort, requiring Maryland to provide equal athletic opportunities for men and women.
In his report, posted on the Maryland website on Monday, Loh said that in the past week he had met with the coaching staffs and roughly 90 athletes from the affected teams. He has received email petitions from more than 10,000 people and 500 personal emails in support of the teams proposed to be cut.
The cuts have been endorsed by Anderson, the university’s athletic council, and the M Club. The university Senate Executive Committee dis not “reach consensus” on the proposal, suggesting cost-cutting measures, including across-the-board roster reductions.
Loh sympathized with those affected by the move. His daugher, Andrea, is a senior soccer player at Occidental.
“I know that my daughter would also feel devastated if her team were to be discontinued,” Loh wrote. “I appreciate the years of commitment it takes to compete at the collegiate level, the sense of identity and family that is forged with a team, the personal qualities and life skills that athletics can develop.”
