By Catholic Review Staff
Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg will discontinue three of its Division I athletics teams in 2013 to reduce its athletics budget.
Men’s soccer and men’s and women’s golf will be cut after the 2012-13 academic year. About 30 Mount student athletes will be affected, as well as one full-time and three part-time coaching positions.
These cuts will save the university more than $400,000 annually.
“This is a decision we didn’t want to make, but the budget realities require it to protect and re-invest in our remaining Division I programs,” Mount St. Mary’s University President Thomas H. Powell said in a statement. “In recent years, we have made a concerted effort to enhance our elite academic programs and robust Catholic identity. This decision allows us to enhance the remaining programs for future athletic success.”
The Mount is honoring athletic scholarships for student athletes and will assist affected student athletes in the coming months, whether they choose to remain at the Mount or transfer to another institution that offers their sport. Men’s soccer and men’s and women’s golf will become club sports in fall 2013.
All coaches remain on contract through June 2013.
“We place a high value on the opportunities athletics create for our student-athletes, and it is never easy to reduce those opportunities,” Lynne Robinson, the Mount’s athletic director said in a statement. “This action doesn’t lessen the success and dedication our athletes, coaches and alumni have exhibited through the years. They have contributed greatly to the strength of our program and our strong Mountaineer tradition and pride.”
The Mount continues to compete in 16 Northeast Conference sports, including: basketball, cross country, lacrosse, tennis and indoor and outdoor track and field for men and women; baseball for men; and soccer, softball and swimming for women.