Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Fresno State Wrestling Supporters Aren't Giving Up in Quest to Restore Program
gvw_nancy_price
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 3 years ago on
July 29, 2021

Share

A coalition of community leaders is asking Fresno State to reinstate wrestling and two other sports that were cut last year and are planning to bring their case to university President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval.

The coalition sent a letter on July 21, signed by community leaders including Assembly members Frank Bigelow, R-Madera, and Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, asking Dr. Jiménez-Sandoval to take another look at the decision to drop wrestling, men’s tennis, and women’s lacrosse.

“Whether it is through an academic scholarship or simply providing the ability to compete as student-athletes, we believe the more avenues available to young people to learn and compete, the more likely they will be able to make valuable and positive contributions to the future of the Central Valley,” the letter said.

The university announced in October that it was cutting the three sports at the end of the 2020-21 school year because of revenue losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reborn Wrestling Program Was Only 4 Years Old

It was a particularly hard blow for the Central Valley’s wrestling community, which had lobbied hard for a decade to have the program re-established at Fresno State, which finally happened in 2016.

The university said last year the program cuts would save $2.5 million once the scholarships, coaches contracts, and other commitments were fulfilled.

But supporters say they want to work with the university to find money to get the programs restarted. Because of gender equity, the university had to cut men’s and women’s programs.

“We believe reinstating all of the teams is possible,” John O’Brien, a wrestling team alum from the class of 1989 who helped organize the letter, said in a news release Thursday. “There is tremendous value for the community if the school reinstates all three teams. With support from the school’s leadership, we can find a way to solve the budget challenges created by the pandemic.”

The lobbying effort also includes an online petition at KeepFresnoStateWrestling.com that the coalition says has been signed by more than 750 alumni and supporters.

University officials did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of the meeting between the coalition and Dr. Jiménez-Sandoval. Spokeswoman Lisa Boyles Bell confirmed later Thursday that Dr. Jiménez-Sandoval has agreed to meet with the group.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

DON'T MISS

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

DON'T MISS

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

DON'T MISS

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

DON'T MISS

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

DON'T MISS

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

DON'T MISS

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

DON'T MISS

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

DON'T MISS

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

DON'T MISS

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

UP NEXT

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

UP NEXT

Fresno Council Lowers Speed Limits on Friant and Audubon

UP NEXT

UConn Coach Geno Auriemma Breaks NCAA Wins Record With 1,217th Victory

UP NEXT

Warriors Guard De’Anthony Melton to Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

UP NEXT

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

UP NEXT

Wiggins, Curry Power Warriors to Dominant Win Over Hawks

UP NEXT

Sale and Skubal Claim Cy Young Awards After Historic Pitching Triple Crown Seasons

UP NEXT

What Will Happen to CNBC and MSNBC When They No Longer Have a Corporate Connection to NBC News?

UP NEXT

Bulldogs Stack Double-Doubles Like Burgers on a Plate to Beat Prairie View

UP NEXT

Republicans Target Social Sciences to Curb Ideas They Don’t Like

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

6 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

6 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

6 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

7 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

7 hours ago

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

8 hours ago

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

8 hours ago

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

8 hours ago

Death Toll in Gaza From Israel-Hamas War Passes 44,000, Palestinian Officials Say

8 hours ago

Jussie Smollett’s Conviction in 2019 Attack on Himself Is Overturned

9 hours ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

NEW YORK — Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, was chosen Thursday by Donald Trump to serve as U.S. attorney general hours after...

4 hours ago

4 hours ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

5 hours ago

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

5 hours ago

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

6 hours ago

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

President Joe Biden with Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors, at the Detroit Auto Show, Sept. 14, 2022. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to erase the Biden administration’s tailpipe rules designed to get carmakers to produce electric vehicles, but most U.S. automakers want to keep them. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
6 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

6 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

7 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at First Horizon Coliseum, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Greensboro, NC. (AP/Alex Brandon)
7 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend