Eastern Michigan nixes four sports in budget cut

YPSILANTI, Mich. (WJBK) - Eastern Michigan University says it's reducing its athletic program by four sports at the end of the 2018 spring season. The school says the cuts are part of its budget restructure.

The four sports being eliminated are softball; men's swimming and diving; women's tennis; and wrestling. 

The change affects 58 male student athletes and 25 female student athletes. Scholarships will still be honored, but otherwise the school says the cuts save about $2.4 million.

Eight full-time coaches, one graduate assistant and one part-time assistant coach are also affected by the decision. 

The school says the decision doesn't affect its affiliation with the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Seventeen sports will still remain in the athletic program, seven of which are men's and 10 women's.

You can get more information on EMU's athletics page here. 

The last time EMU changed its sports offerings was in 2000, when both men's tennis and men's soccer were discontinued and women's rowing was added. Prior to that, men's gymnastics and women's field hockey were eliminated in 1988.

A GoFundMe page was created to help save EMU wrestling. For more information go here.