The University of Regina will go into the 2018-19 season with 13 teams instead of 16.
On Monday, it was announced the Cougar men's volleyball team and both the men's and women's wrestling teams are being removed from the athletics program.
“The decision was extremely difficult,” said Harold Riemer, dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina. “While our elite sports teams are a source of pride for the University, reducing the number of teams on campus enables us to concentrate efforts. We will look to meet the teaching and programming needs of a Faculty where enrolments have increased by 31 percent over the past five years and more effectively support competitive excellence within our remaining U SPORTS teams.”
Riemer added that “all savings realized will remain in the Faculty, enabling us to focus on the teaching and programming needs of a rapidly growing student population.”
Doing this was one of the recommendations in an Athletics Programming and Operations Report which was released in January of 2017. That report stated supporting 16 programs was unsustainable and this will more closely align the number of teams to those at similar-sized institutions and better balancing the male to female athlete ratio on campus.
“We recognize that this is a difficult announcement for our student athletes. We are committed to supporting those athletes affected by this announcement by honouring scholarships and other accommodations made so long as the students remain in good academic standing at the University of Regina,” said Riemer. “Our students are our top priority throughout this transition.”
As a result of the team reductions, two full-time coaching positions are reduced and one term contract position will not be renewed.
16 comments:
Just the beginning...
Wrestling over women's soccer? No problem with men's volleyball, but I think there are other programs there that could have been 86'ed ahead of wrestling!
Wait till Leo goes into Harold's office and "stretches him out". Regina has a great wrestling program and now all of those kids will be going elsewhere. Cmon Harold, what are you thinking?
Barry
Didn't a wrestler just get named Cougar athlete of the year? Has the U of R seen the city high school wrestling program like the one at O'Neill and how it has populated Leo's program.
Those kids aren't going to stay at home now. What a short-sighted decision!
Dean
U of R were perennial losers at these sports, makes total sense to not waste anymore money here.
If you get rid of men's volleyball and women's soccer, no one would bat an eyelash. The two teams have never had any success. The same could be said for men's hockey as well, but hockey is a different animal.
I'd like to know the real reason behind this move. Leo has put together a solid program over the years. The two teams were in the top 10 this past season weren't they?
Men's hockey deserves to axed too give the criteria and reasons given for this.
An incredibly stupid decision when it comes to wrestling! As a former Cougar wrestler, these were some of the best days of my life. Leo was like a 2nd father to me. Hopefully this can be corrected in the near future.
Yeah the men's hockey program is pathetic at best
Correct it by punting the perennial doormat men's hockey team.
22-83-8 over the last 4 years, 2 seasons above the .500 Mark in the last 22 years and the men's hockey stays lol.
Guessing men's hockey brings in a little more revenue than wrestling and volleyball.
U of R athletics should consist of basketball, volleyball, wrestling, hockey and football.
Is there really a need for these second-tier sports like track/swimming/soccer? I guess some upstairs think there is.
That is the big problem is what's upstairs. Get rid of a few Academic VP's and their high-priced salaries and you solve a lot of the problem.
Rob
Wrestling team need put Riemer in a submission hold on behalf of all effected to these cuts.
Expenses are probably 10 times what those are
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