University officials announced Friday they’re eliminating women's rowing, men's swimming and diving, men's wrestling and men's indoor track and field.
During a conference call with reporters, campus Athletics Director Greg Warzecka had to talk over students who were protesting the cuts by chanting “Save Our Sports” and “Here We Go Aggies”. Warzecka called the decision difficult but necessary for a balanced budget.
“You can clearly hear the emotion in the background of how student athletes feel about this decision. And it is a very complex decision that is hard for student athletes to understand. But the financial hurdles were just too large.”
The cuts will help the campus save close to $3 million over three years. The programs will be discontinued by July 1st and affect about 150 student athletes. Seven coaches will lose their jobs.
In response to state budget cuts over the past two years, UC Davis has also eliminated courses, increased class sizes, hiked fees and cut student enrollment.