Thousands of current and former Loyola Marymount University athletes have signed an online petition to reinstate six sports programs that will be eliminated by the end of their respective seasons.
In an open letter accompanying the announcement cited by CBS News, LMU athletic director Craig Pintens claimed the cuts were part of the administration's plan to adapt to the rapidly changing college sports landscape — NIL and transfer portal rule changes, in particular.
"This decision, while difficult, best positions our department and remaining Division I sports for success," Pintens wrote, as reported by Matthew Rodriquez of CBS. "The NCAA landscape is changing rapidly, and schools of all sizes must adapt to provide the best student-athlete experience while becoming even more competitive. LMU is no different."
The six programs earmarked for elimination at the Los Angeles-based private university include men's cross-country, men's rowing, men's track and field, women's rowing, women's swimming, and women's track and field. About 100 student-athletes will be affected.
According to Rodriquez, athletes claimed they received a three-hour notice to attend a meeting where they would eventually learn the fate of their programs.
"We were all in a state of hysteria," sophomore swimmer Lia Murray said. "Nobody knew what to do with themselves, and it didn't really seem that anybody cared to help."
Murray added she saw many crying and falling onto the ground after the meeting.
"I am devastated at the news," said sophomore teammate Alena Sharp. "Being in that room with those students who decided to go to the meeting that we were called to, seeing everyone's face just drop immediately was the most soul-crushing thing I could have seen this week or this year."
Sharp added that she transferred to LMU this year and would not have made the switch if she "wasn't in love with the school."
"All I could feel was hurt like I had been backstabbed," Sharp said. "I came to this program to swim. I was promised that they would uphold my future, my plans the way I wanted to."
More than 2,000 current and former student-athletes signed the petition, which Sharp created to call on the university to reinstate the six programs.
LMU said it will honor the athletic financial aid of all those affected if they stay at the university to finish their studies. Administrators also said they will help people transfer if they wish to continue their collegiate athletic careers elsewhere.
"We were looking at options of graduating early," junior swimmer Ryann Dorris said. "We can't imagine our time at LMU without swimming. So, in terms of athletics, sadly, our career is cut a little bit short."
