Monday, May 14, 2012
The Diamondback writes a retrospective piece about the events and decisions that led to the possible athletic cuts at the University of Maryland.
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Monday, May 14, 2012
University of Maryland President Wallace Loh announced in November that eight athletic programs would be cut from the school to help balance the athletic department's budget. For the ensuing months, student-athletes had more on their plates than academics and competing, as they also tried to raise eight-years of operating funds to save their programs. “Raising money [has] definitely been a challenge because normally this time of year is dedicated to school and playing our best since we're in season,” Shelby Reyes told Patch in March. She is a co-captain for the women's water polo team, one of the vulnerable programs at the university. “But the fact that it's for something that means so much to all of us makes the difference. We are …
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Some athletes still plan to transfer, as cross country and indoor track won't be saved.
Monday, March 5, 2012
The University of Maryland women’s water polo team fights to stay on campus.
The threat of being cut from the athletic department is no laughing matter, but on Thursday night members of the women’s water polo team—which could face that future—used comedy to brighten the mood and help raise money to save their team. Co-captains Christine Goetsch and Shelby Reyes helped plan the event to bring in some of the $4.2 million needed to save their team by June 30, 2012. “We picked a comedy show because we thought it would be a fun, great way to get the students involved in helping to save our sport,” Goetsch wrote in an e-mail. She also hopes it will raise awareness about other Maryland teams being cut. The university informed eight teams in November that their programs could be cut because of budget problems unless they …
Monday, February 6, 2012
The vulnerable swimming and diving team landed a feature in The Washington Post.
After learning that the University of Maryland swimming and diving team could be cut, athlete Megan Lafferty had to push herself from devastated to motivated, The Washington Post recently wrote. Lafferty wasn't the only athlete on the team who had to muster a bit of drive. Junior Haley Bull said that when the team learned that University of Maryland Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson was speaking with them before practice one day last fall, they knew it would be bad news, Patch previously reported. “I don’t even think there are words to describe that feeling. We sat in shock for a few minutes and then it just hit us. My world just came crashing down in a second," Bull said. Since that day, Bull put the bad news aside and started the …
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Maryland's comptroller said approval of the $7.2 million project does not look good in light of recent sports team cuts.
State officials voted at Wednesday's Board of Public Works meeting to approve the demolition and rebuilding of the president's residence at the University of Maryland, The Examiner reported. The building, which is used to host public events, doesn't meet safety codes and hasn't been renovated in more than 10 years, according to The Examiner. But Comptroller Peter Franchot, who voted against the $7.2 million project, said the demolition was an unfortunate project, given the economic climate and an athletic budget deficit at UMd., The Examiner reported. The athletic department is facing a $4.6 million deficit in its operating budget for fiscal year 2013, and six teams could be cut if they don't raise eight years worth of operating costs …
The ranking is just one of many recent accomplishments by the men's tennis team, one of eight programs that could be cut at the University of Maryland in June.
The University of Maryland men’s tennis team garnered national attention on Tuesday when the Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranked the team 38th in its preseason rankings. But it’s the possible elimination of the team that’s garnered the most attention, since President Wallace Loh made the announcement in November that some programs could be cut due to budget constraints. The recent ranking is just one of many of the team’s accomplishments in the last three years. When former Olympian and top assistant coach Kyle Spencer was hired in 2009 to help lead the University of Maryland men's tennis team, he said he came into a program with little funding and marginal success. Now the team is beating ranked opponents and reaching NCAA finals. …
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Economics professor discusses how this cut could change the sport on a national scale.
It's no longer new news that eight teams at the University of Maryland could be cut by this summer, if they can't raise millions of dollars for themselves. But the tale of the men's track team, and the impact that the elimination of the Division 1 program could have on the sport on a national level, is a story The New York Times found worthy of telling. If nonrevenue programs like Maryland men’s track continue to be eliminated, it could eventually affect how the United States Olympic team is assembled, The Times wrote. Many Olympic track athletes compete at a Division I program before going professional. “If many other colleges follow Maryland’s lead to cut track, I believe we’ll see a resurgence of [running] club activity," said Barbara …
Monday, November 21, 2011
President Wallace Loh made the announcement Monday morning.
University of Maryland President Wallace Loh announced in a letter to the UMd community this morning that eight athletic programs would be cut from the campus. The announcement comes a week after a commission appointed by Loh recommended that at least eight teams be cut to help balance the athletic department's budget. It was a recommendation that spurred several online petitions and websites to continue the programs, and lots of discussion on social media. Those teams are: men's indoor and outdoor track and cross country; men's and women's swimming and diving; women's water polo; women's acrobatics and tumbling; men's tennis. The letter follows: Dear University of Maryland community: It is with regret that I announce my decision to accept…
Friday, November 18, 2011
From online petitions to Twitter hash tags, athletes and supporters are spreading the message: "Save Our Team."
Once the athletes of eight sports programs at the University of Maryland learned their teams could be cut from the athletic program because of budget problems, a surge of support has been pulsing through the web. Below is a list of online petitions, popular Twitter hash tags, "Save the Team" Facebook pages and websites we could find. If you find even more support out there that you think people should know about, leave a comment at the bottom of this post. Acrobatics and Tumbling (Women) Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track (Men) Swimming and Diving (Men and Women) Tennis (Men) Water Polo (Women)
Support evident for the men and women's teams at day one of the the Terp Cup Invitational.
As University of Maryland administrators mull over whether to cut eight or more of its varsity sports teams, junior Haley Bull can’t help but think of her 13-year-old sister Carly. Bull is an athlete on Maryland’s swimming and diving team — one of the squads that could be squeezed from the athletic program because of an ailing budget. She and her younger sister share a passion for the water. “It’s been fun for me to be the role model, because I know she looks up to me,” Bull said. “She tries to beat my times from when I was that age.” UMd. President Wallace Loh released the final report for the President’s Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics Monday, recommending that at least eight of its 27 varsity sports teams be removed, but Bull …
Shannon Hoffman
11:12 am on Monday, February 6, 2012
Check out the great story in The Diamondback, too. Includes more from Lafferty, the coach, and parents. And congrats to the men and women Terps, who beat the Hoyas by 228-47 and 227-54, respectively. http://www.diamondbackonline.com/news/in-eppley-one-final-swim-1.2766162#.Ty_5KyMmBUg more ›