DAVIS, Calif. – Everybody knew an announcement was coming about reductions in the athletic department at UC-Davis. The administration made it well known to the campus and the local media that there would be program reductions made this spring for budgetary reasons.

When the announcement was made on April 16, there was a big surprise. One of the four programs which had been selected for elimination was wrestling. The other sports cut from the athletic program were women’s rowing, men’s swimming and diving and men’s indoor track.

Wrestling? None of the advance media reports had identified wrestling as a possible target for elimination. In a letter written on the day wrestling was cut, head coach Lenny Zalesky told wrestling supporters that he “was told last fall that no matter what may come to be, football and wrestling were safe at UC Davis.”

It happened anyway.

“I don’t know what happened. Understanding that won’t get the program saved,” said Zalesky this week.

Ever since the announcement, the fight to save UC Davis wrestling has been intense. A group has been organized, led by alumni, parents and supporters of the wrestling team. A website has been created to inform and motivate called SaveUCDavisWrestling.com.

There is an enormous event scheduled for Wednesday, May 19 to support UC Davis Wrestling and bring more attention to the situation. Wrestling legend Dan Gable will come to campus, and wrestling supporters from everywhere are invited to attend. 

There will be a rally on the Quad on the UC Davis campus with Gable in attendance at 4:30 p.m. A Dinner with Dan Gable will follow at the Capital City Saloon and Grill in Woodland, Calif., with tickets available for $75 each for the first 200 purchasers. 

To order a ticket to the dinner with Dan Gable, 
http://www.saveucdaviswrestling.com/Site_2/Dan_Gable_Dinner.html

There has been considerable anger within the wrestling community in California about this decision. Earlier this year, Cal-State Bakersfield announced that it would eliminate its wrestling program. That decision still remains in effect. Cal-State Fullerton also was considering dropping its wrestling team, but announced that the program was saved for another year due to a fundraising effort. 

UC Davis wrestling has thrived under the leadership of Lenny Zalesky, who has led the program for nine seasons. The Aggies reached a new milestone when Derek Moore won a NCAA Div. I national title in 2007 and was named Outstanding Wrestler. The team has established itself as an annual contender at the Pac-10 Championshps, and has produced numerous NCAA qualifiers and conference medalists, as well as successful student-athletes in the classroom.

Unlike some college programs that have tried to reinstate the program by raising money, the supporters of UC Davis wrestling are not seeking that solution.

“The number they gave us was $7 million to endow the program and another $7 million to endow a women’s program. They asked us to raise $14 million. That is not possible. But we really think the state should pay for it, anyway,” said Zalesky.

The battle to save UC-Davis wrestling goes beyond financial issues. For those who support the program, the fight is all about fairness.

UC Davis is the last college in the University of California (UC) system to field a wrestling team. As a state, California has the most high school wrestlers in the nation with 27,469 athletes competing for 798 schools.Yet, if this cut goes through, not a single California student-athlete in wrestling will have an opportunity to compete and pursue a UC college degree.

“We have 27,500 high school wrestlers in California,” said Zalesky. “Within a few years, there could be no Div. I programs for them to wrestle for. Common sense is that parents of wrestlers pay taxes. If this happens, you can get a UC degree but you can’t wrestle there.”

There are UC campuses in the following locations: Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. Davis would be the last to sponsor wrestling.

“This is a UC problem, not a UC Davis problem,” said Benjamin West, a parent of a UC Davis wrestler and one of the leaders of Save UC Davis Wrestling. “This decision is a complete disenfranchisement of all of those kids in our state who are wrestlers. Wrestling is the No. 6 participation sport within California high school athletics. All 12 of the top sports have the opportunity to compete for more than one UC college. If our voices are loud enough, we can be heard.”

Another important aspect of the elimination of wrestling is the opportunity which the UC Davis team has provided for minority students. The wrestling roster at UC Davis has traditionally been tremendously diverse, something which many other sports on campus can not claim.

Nexi Delgado, who completed his college wrestling career at UC Davis in 2009, has been very vocal in supporting the effort to save the team. 

“Competing in wrestling is less expensive than country club sports like golf and tennis. There are six UC golf teams, but only one wrestling team. UC Davis wrestling has one of the highest minority rates of participation. One of the issues at UC Davis is the lack of minorities in coaching and administration. The campus is not very diverse, and some sports are not very diverse. Wrestling is one of the most diverse of them all,” said Delgado.

Delgado, who is a Latino, competed in wrestling because it was accessible at his public school and his family could afford for him to participate. He says that through wrestling he discovered the self-confidence that allowed him to achieve both on the mat and in the classroom. He will do anything he can to make sure this opportunity is there for others in the future.

“I have a cousin in high school who I am mentoring,” said Delgado. “He is a good student also, and I have been encouraging him to compete in college. Now, if that dream for him to compete is taken away, I have to find another way to motivate him. I take it very personally when they cut this program.”

The leaders in the fight believe that wrestling has earned the right to be in the athletic department and the UC system, and that the state should fund it, just like other programs.

“We don’t want to be treated like second class citizens,” said West. “The UCD students have voted three times to self-impose fee increases to support athletics. The athletic department has had eight core principles. Included is the fact that no sport will be treated with inferior status. Another principle is that the university would not cut teams, and only look to add teams.”

The decision has greatly affected the student-athletes in the wrestling program, according to their coaches.

“It is hard. It was tough breaking the news to them,” said assistant coach Alex Tirapelle. “They are through the grieving process. They are now looking at their options. They are handling it with a good level of maturity. It is very difficult for everybody involved.”

“It is a feeling of betrayal and anger,” said Zalesky. “They feel that one criteria the chancellor said was to retain programs that do well nationally. We have been that team at UC Davis.”

The support group is looking to fight the battle on a number of fronts. The first is on the political scene, where politicians and influential people within California’s education system are being approached for support. In addition, there may be efforts on the legal front. 

The group is also doing a tremendous amount of information gathering, to bring to public awareness numerous facts about the finances and decisions of the administration at UC Davis. 

“The data will show that these cuts didn’t need to happen,” said West.

Zalesky believes this battle can be won if enough people of influence within the state find out about what is going on and why wrestling should be included in the UC system. He believes that when state senators and congressmen are reached with the information, that they have a compelling case.

“It has to be done at that level. Wrestling is something of value. There is a large population that participates in wrestling,” said Zalesky.

He also hopes that a strong turnout for the rally and dinner with Dan Gable can raise additional public awareness.

“It might raise local attention. That is what we have to do. We have to get the message out. They are cutting a program with large participation at the high school level and nobody’s looking at that,” said Zalesky.