Campbell Wrestling is about to cut their program

[TNwrestling]

Was sent this today. If any of yall got pull let’s band together to help keep this program 

 

 

[CoachC]

This is not good for that program. College administrators trying to save a dollar and put it in the basketball/football bucket.

Edited October 14 by CoachC

[Greenwave]

Damn, they always had a good following.

[Camel Wrestling Fan]

This is gutwrenching for me. Obviously, Campbell is not a big school in a big time wrestling conference. But they have busted their butt's on and off the mat to build a very solid program. They have zero big boosters funding the team. They do have a lot of small donors who gave everything they could to help the program succeed. Coach Scottie Sentes has worked twice as hard as any coach should to work to keep the progress moving forward. He partnered with UFCfightpass to bring college wrestling to Fort Bragg. Teams entered matches from cargo planes in a hanger. He partnered with UFCfightpass several times to bring more exposure for the sport of wrestling, never taking the easy way out. Who does little ol' Campbell bring to make this happen? Michigan and North Carolina! Coach Sentes partnered up last year with Wyoming and Coach Branch to wrestle a match in a barn at over 8000 feet elevation. Of course with UFC fight pass it was a show. This year it CU brings Nebraska in for a match on the baseball field with @Claw wrestling showcasing a tremendous match during halftime. Innovation and hard work brings success and exposure and of course your program gutted!!!

[SNL Wrestling]

It is very preliminary- they haven't cut anything, only cut from 9 to 3 scholorships. 

 

Help raise hell on twitter and donate:

 

 

Edited October 15 by SNL Wrestling

[flyingcement]

9 minutes ago, SNL Wrestling said:

It is very preliminary- they haven't cut anything, only cut from 9 to 3 scholorships. 

 

Help raise hell on twitter and donate:

 

 

but they said that scholarship athletes will not be able to compete (and so in effect going from 9 to zero as I said in the other thread I started)

Edited October 15 by flyingcement

[Camel Wrestling Fan]

3 minutes ago, SNL Wrestling said:

It is very preliminary- they haven't cut anything, only cut from 9 to 3 scholorships. 

 

Help raise hell on twitter and donate:

 

 

No, the admin did not drop the program. But it is hard to sing baritone,  when they cut your off! It is more than cutting from 9 to 3 schollys. All the money promised to returners, the money for the recruits, gone. Guys that have put in years at Campbell grinding are going to be told to hit the pavement. All the blood sweat and tears these young men had worked toward is blown up in a blink of the eye. It is not just the starters that suffer, but the will, the back ups- you know the grinders- who will suffer as much or more. They are simply kicked to the curb. They have no where to go. The admin wants a small roster will 3 schollys. After all everyone has done to raise that program to where it is today. It is a sad day. Better than being dropped entirely? Yes. But right now it doesn't feel much different.

[Camel Wrestling Fan]

Campbell may be one of the first, but you can bet you bottom dollar they will not be the last. If you are not in the B1G, ACC, or bigtime program in the B12 you may want to be nervous. I have a feeling this type of is not over.

[killdozer]

So I did some figuring. Campbell cost $56,151.00 to go there (With everything). They have 45 kids on their roster. If they give every wrestler 20% (which is what it would be if they handed out all the scholarship money). The University brings in roughly 2 million with the wrestling teams numbers alone after scholarships. With a school budget that is at 278 million and endownment of a little over 200 million. 

Their Football team has had four winning seasons since 2008 (which I think is when they started the football program) and they play NCAA I-AA which is a money drainer. They played North Carolina last year. So they probably got paid 500 K to get their ass kicked. 

Their Basketball team made the NCAA tournament in 1992. None since as a matter of fact since joining the NCAA DI in 1978 550-757. 

But sure, cut scholarships from the program that has won you 6 of the last 9 conference championships. That has produced All-Americans.

Now, if you are a kid that goes there to wrestle and they are cutting scholarships and the cost is that much. Plus their graduation rate is 56% at Campbell are you staying after this?

[CHROMEBIRD]

 

This completely sucks, but why is it happening? No offense to the Fightin' Camels but their football team is an FCS-level team that has only been around since 2008 with a .365 record, and has only had 3 winning seasons under their 11th year head coach. Last year, they finished 9th in their conference. And their men's basketball team has only played in the NCAA tournament once and that was over 30 years ago. They lost in the first round. Is Campbell really diverting athletics money into its abysmal football and basketball programs? Big plans for the CAA? Pushy donor? Financial trouble (though the school has a decent endowment relative to its conference peers)? Weird AD?

Could the wrestling program scrape by on outside (NIL) money? I hear Buies Creek is a sports town. Maybe some local sponsors will step up. 

[flyingcement]

4 minutes ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

 

This completely sucks, but why is it happening? No offense to the Fightin' Camels but their football team is an FCS-level team that has only been around since 2008 with a .365 record, and has only had 3 winning seasons under their 11th year head coach. Last year, they finished 9th in their conference. And their men's basketball team has only played in the NCAA tournament once and that was over 30 years ago. They lost in the first round. Is Campbell really diverting athletics money into its abysmal football and basketball programs? Big plans for the CAA? Pushy donor? Financial trouble (though the school has a decent endowment relative to its conference peers)? Weird AD?

Could the wrestling program scrape by on outside (NIL) money? I hear Buies Creek is a sports town. Maybe some local sponsors will step up. 

Few folks on X have given great insights.  Many times the AD of these small schools is looking to move to a bigger conference and so needs to serve football and basketball first 

[CHROMEBIRD]

That's interesting, did they mean the school or the AD has eyes on a bigger conference? I don't know anything about Hannah Bazemore but she doesn't read like that type of climber on paper. Campbell alumna, undergrad and grad; 12 years with the athletics dept, AD for less than 2 years. Maybe she's getting pressed by a donor.

[Camel Wrestling Fan]

I am fairly close to the program. I am just an alumni, fan, and live close by the school. Buies Creek is a VERY small town. Take away the students and professors and it is at best a 1000 or so population. A couple of small businesses. All that being said, it takes a lot of hustle to make it. From what I am hearing the revenue sharing is all consuming. Football and mbball is sucking all of the air out of the room. The school has not done a good job of budgeting and are "belt tightening." They are fighting for any money they can to maintain the glamor sports. Wrestling doesn't draw well, has a large roster, and had 9 schollys. (Had already given back .5 schollys) So wrestling has to shrink. Shrink roster and shrink scholarships. I do not understand the math and it has not be explained fully to me. 45 on the roster minus 9 scholarships = 36 paying students. If the roster is cut to 25-30 with 3 schollys you have 22-27 paying, meaning a net loss of income.(???) But I feel (IMO) it is revenue sharing and balancing men and women's scholarships, and the number of participants. All while trying to increase scholarships for football and men's bball. It is a sorry state of affairs in The Creek. A big knot in my stomach. I feel helpless. I have no idea what the answer is. Local fundraising is tough. There are not any Ashton Kutcher's around to save the day. I am grateful the program was not cut completely, but I do not feel much better. CU has (had) a very solid program. Then the rug pull. Sickening. I am telling you, you do not want this feeling. Go watch your favorite team, donate, and be an active supporter, but even that may not be enough.

[nhs67]

I know it sucks to see, but the numbers don't really lie.  They are a large program (~50 kids), right?  Since they opted in, they will be forced to reduce down to 30 as a cap.  They would still be bringing in less to the school even if they had zero scholarships for wrestling.

I fear this is not the last of this.

[TNwrestling]

5 hours ago, Camel Wrestling Fan said:

 If the roster is cut to 25-30 with 3 schollys you have 22-27 paying, meaning a net loss of income.(???)

To me it feels like they're using this as a set up. So next year or the year after they can completely dump the program and blame it on not being profitable. Despite them being the ones who ensured it wasn't. 

[lisa morales]

They're basically a friends and family program.  Drop the program and maybe 5 people will care.

[1032004]

6 hours ago, Camel Wrestling Fan said:

I am fairly close to the program. I am just an alumni, fan, and live close by the school. Buies Creek is a VERY small town. Take away the students and professors and it is at best a 1000 or so population. A couple of small businesses. All that being said, it takes a lot of hustle to make it. From what I am hearing the revenue sharing is all consuming. Football and mbball is sucking all of the air out of the room. The school has not done a good job of budgeting and are "belt tightening." They are fighting for any money they can to maintain the glamor sports. Wrestling doesn't draw well, has a large roster, and had 9 schollys. (Had already given back .5 schollys) So wrestling has to shrink. Shrink roster and shrink scholarships. I do not understand the math and it has not be explained fully to me. 45 on the roster minus 9 scholarships = 36 paying students. If the roster is cut to 25-30 with 3 schollys you have 22-27 paying, meaning a net loss of income.(???) But I feel (IMO) it is revenue sharing and balancing men and women's scholarships, and the number of participants. All while trying to increase scholarships for football and men's bball. It is a sorry state of affairs in The Creek. A big knot in my stomach. I feel helpless. I have no idea what the answer is. Local fundraising is tough. There are not any Ashton Kutcher's around to save the day. I am grateful the program was not cut completely, but I do not feel much better. CU has (had) a very solid program. Then the rug pull. Sickening. I am telling you, you do not want this feeling. Go watch your favorite team, donate, and be an active supporter, but even that may not be enough.

They never count athlete-paid tuition as revenue. I know @Jason Bryant has done a good job articulating why they should at some of these smaller enrollment driven schools that don’t have particularly high academic standards. I guess the argument is that they still could have let someone in other than the athlete.

is it true they’re not letting scholarship athletes compete? That doesn’t seem legal, but I am not a lawyer.

 

[TNwrestling]

22 minutes ago, lisa morales said:

They're basically a friends and family program.  Drop the program and maybe 5 people will care.

congratulations, i know it's only 9:30ct but this may win the prize for the dumbest thing said on this forum today...

[CHROMEBIRD]

4 hours ago, 1032004 said:

They never count athlete-paid tuition as revenue. I know @Jason Bryant has done a good job articulating why they should at some of these smaller enrollment driven schools that don’t have particularly high academic standards. I guess the argument is that they still could have let someone in other than the athlete.

is it true they’re not letting scholarship athletes compete? That doesn’t seem legal, but I am not a lawyer.

 

Right? It's insane that scholarship athletes will not be allowed to compete. Wtf?

[BAC]

I don't see Title IX compliance issues mentioned as a factor here, but it sure sounds like Title IX to me.  Why else would they say that wrestlers who wish to keep their scholarships would not be allowed to compete?  That tells me it isn't just a funding issue as they are OK with spending the money on the scholarships -- but if they do, it just can't be characterized as an athletic scholarship.  Given the default Title IX requirement (as interpreted by the Dept of Ed) that male/female athletic scholarships need to be proportional to male/female enrollment, it sound to me like they're trying to revamp the teams to make the schollies more proportional.

[jchapman]

Someone explain this to me like I am 5 years old please.  Campbell will fund 3 scholarships, but if you receive a scholarship, you will not be allowed to compete.  Who are getting the scholarships?  Only redshirts?

[lisa morales]

9 hours ago, TNwrestling said:

congratulations, i know it's only 9:30ct but this may win the prize for the dumbest thing said on this forum today...

Hey, now that's not very nice of you.  You obviously have no clue about attendance.  Campbell has been lucky to draw 50 people at a dual.  Students have no idea the program even exists.

[AgaveMaria]

It is a Religious school. Why any surprise when they screw the students and athletes?

[billyhoyle]

Terrible. I agree with the sentiment that other programs will follow in the new landscape. 

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

On 10/14/2024 at 8:29 PM, Greenwave said:

Damn, they always had a good following.

I don't know about their other social media accounts, but I saw so many ******* hilarious tweets from their Twitter account, that I up and followed them. Best in the country on Twitter. This is awful, and I hope the athletes sue. I can't imagine scholarship athletes told that they can't wrestle for their team. It sounds impossible.