With great heartache I must report that the University of Minnesota-Morris has announced that it will be dropping its men's and women's wrestling program following the 2003-2004 season.    Due to recent state reductions in operating budgets, a cut of $1.5 million is necessary from a base budget of $26 million from the Morris campus.  The university would save a total of $64,000 by discontinuing the wrestling program.  In addition, the university announced that in the 2004-2005 school year women's swimming would be added to the athletic program, which would produce a net savings of $38,000.    Wrestling has a strong tradition here, in 42 years UMM produced a total of 153 All-Americans, such as Olympians Dennis and Duane Koslowski, and World Cup champion Katie Downing, now representing the U.S. in the 2003 World Championships.  In fact since 1996, UM-Morris has produced 28 Academic All-Americans at the NCAA II level.    Although UM-Morris is moving into a new athletic conference at the NCAA III level, this new conference does not offer wrestling.  UM-Morris has been offered the opportunity to join the MIAC and join Augsburg, St. Olaf, Concordia-Moorhead, and St. John's as a wrestling only member.  The women's program has been offered to join the CIF in Canada, and recently at the U.S. National Championships in Las Vegas, USA Wrestling held a meeting with all the women's collegiate coaches to form a new league for women with a dual tournament, and an individual tournament championship format.  The league format begins this season.    The university determined that men's and women's wrestling "are no longer viable sports for UMM."    I have always been a champion of developing wrestling opportunities.  I started women's collegiate wrestling in 1994 for two reasons: 1) to save men's programs, and 2) to give women the opportunity to compete, with the hope that it would have a positive affect on our U.S. National Team - which it has!    Now in a heartbeat, the university that gave women the first opportunity to wrestle, is now denying that opportunity in favor of women's swimming which is not a conference sport, which would have to compete independently.  In fact our pool is just 25 yards long, not 25 meters as needed for official qualifying times.    I am saddened and outraged.  I hurt for the alumni and the current wrestlers.  I hurt for all wrestlers who have lost their programs in the past.  It is not fair, nor just.    I appeal to the wrestling community to join in this battle to save TWO collegiate wrestling programs.  We need your support today!  Call, write, fax, or e-mail.  Your assistance is needed.  Today we need to fight tooth and nail for our sport.  We can not afford to lose one more program, especially in the upper mid-west where it could cause a snowball affect with other collegiate programs.    Please contact:    Sam Schumann, Chancellor      309 Behmler Hall      University of Minnesota-Morris     Morris, MN 56267      schumans@mrs.umn.edu  Office 320-589-6020  Fax  320-589-6399  Home 320-589-9034    Sandy Olson-Loy, Vice Chancellor Athletics    309 Behmler Hall      University of Minnesota-Morris     Morris, MN 56267      olsonloy@mrs.umn.edu  Office 320-589-6013  Fax 320-589-6399  Home 320-239-4782    Mark Fohl, Athletic Director     P.E. Center       East Second Street      University of Minnesota-Morris     Morris, MN 56267  fohlmv@mrs.umn.edu  Office 320-589-6421  Fax 320-589-6428  Home 320-589-3748    Any way you can help will be greatly appreciated.  Thank you and God bless.    Doug Reese  Head Wrestling Coach  University of Minnesota-Morris  reesedc@mrs.umn.edu  320-589-6437