COLLEGE PARK, Md. – University of Maryland president Wallace Loh said agreeing to cut eight of the school’s athletic teams is one of the most difficult decisions he’s ever had to make, but something that needs to be done.

The recommendation to cut the teams came from a report by the president’s Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, which said the following programs needed to be eliminated by July 1 due to financial concerns:

• Men’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track (three teams)
• Men’s swimming and diving
• Men’s tennis
• Women’s acrobatics and tumbling
• Women’s swimming and diving
• Women’s water polo

“The Commission concluded that the only prudent course of action is for ICA to reduce the number of teams not only to reduce expenses, but to increase the level of academic and training support provided to the remaining student athletes,” the panel’s report states.

On Monday, Loh said agreeing with the commission’s recommendation was “one of the most painful … decisions I’ve ever made.”

But “we cannot continue year after year having expenses that are greater than our revenues — living beyond our means,” he said.

Kevin Anderson, the university’s athletic director, said cutting the teams is equivalent to “losing some family members.”

“It was heartwrenching to go team to team and look these young people in the eye and tell them that there was a possibility of discontinuing,” he said.

The cuts do come with a possible saving grace: The teams have been told they can keep playing if they raise their own funds.

“Folks want to help out and save these teams, so I’m counting on that,” Anderson said.

The university is planning to launch a drive to raise funds for the programs. Although several websites and social media pages have started soliciting donations for individual sports, the school recommends calling the Terrapin Club’s offices at (301) 314-7020 to donate.

The club’s website also will soon be updated to include information about donations.

WTOP’s Andrew Mollenbeck contributed to this report. Follow Andrew and WTOP on Twitter.

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