WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 11, 2002 - Adding momentum to what some are calling the strongest challenge ever brought against the way the federal government enforces Title IX, alumni of Syracuse wrestling have joined a federal lawsuit today that seeks to protect collegiate athletic programs from being eliminated due to Title IX actions.  The group, Keep Syracuse Wrestling, is now a plaintiff in the suit to which the government must respond by March 15.    "The Syracuse Wrestling alums are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with their colleagues in the amateur wrestling community in this all-important effort to remedy the inequities of Title IX," said Patrick Greene, Vice-President of Keep Syracuse Wrestling.  "We refuse to give up on eighty years of tradition at Syracuse and one of the most American of sports."    The suit, filed by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, alleges that in 1996 the Department of Education unlawfully altered the way it interprets Title IX.  That improper rulemaking and its enforcement have led to the arbitrary elimination of hundreds of athletic programs at schools across the country, costing student-athletes both scholarships and their dreams of competition.  The suit seeks to restore Title IX to its original intent - providing equal opportunity without discriminating against any student-athlete.     "The way that Title IX is being enforced today is discrimination, plain and simple," said Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the NWCA.  "Students across the country are having their athletic dreams taken from them and their academic lives turned upside down."    Additional Background and Sources: www.savingsports.org