Huskies Announce Plan To Cut Four Sports, Reduce From 22 To 18

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

The latest NCAA Division 1 school to cut a track and field or cross country program is the University of Connecticut. 

On Wednesday, the American Athletic Conference school announced that it plans to eliminate men's cross country, women's rowing, men's swimming and diving, and men's tennis. 

The cross country team, coached by Greg Roy, finished third at the AAC Championships last fall and placed eighth out of 37 teams in the NCAA Northeast regional. The team was led by junior Eric Van der Els and sophomores James Maniscalco and William Brisman — all three of them in-state products. 

The planned reduction of sports programs from 22 to 18 teams does not go into effect until the 2021-22 school year, so that student-athletes have some time to sort out their plans if they decide to transfer.

The tightened budget comes as the school tries to fend off the economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. The elimination of those programs are expected to save the Connecticut athletic budget approximately $10 million.