Four Bowling Green men’s athletic teams fell victim to budget constraints and Title IX, learning yesterday their sports will be cut at the end of the year.

Falcon Athletic Director Paul Krebs met individually with the men’s tennis, swimming and diving, and indoor and outdoor track programs to break the news.

“In spite of our best efforts, the economic realities of funding 22 varsity sports teams at a highly competitive level of Division I athletics has become a financial hardship,” Krebs said in a statement released by the University.

The move reduces the number of varsity sports from 22 to 18. It will also affect 55 student-athletes and eliminate two full-time coaching positions. According to sources, Krebs told each team in their meetings that the athletic program is $3.4 million in debt.

Another issue that has raised concerns is Title IX. According to one rule, the population for athletics must emulate the population of the school. On campus, the female gender outnumbers the male, but in athletics, there are 270 males to 191 females.

The issues became evident, but the coaches and players never saw the move coming.

“Our guys are sad, hurt and uncertain of their future,” said BG tennis coach Jay Harris. “It came as a huge shock to us. We had one of the worst athletic facilities on campus, but still managed to be one of the most successful teams here. I would have hoped that would have helped us stay a program, but I guess I was wrong.”

“It hit me like a ton of bricks,” said BG swimming and diving coach Randy Julian. “Facing the guys after they were told the program was cut was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. We met with them immediately afterwards and discussed their options and what they need to look for.”

Underclassman athletes now must decide whether to transfer to another school or stay at the University. According to the press release, all scholarship athletes will have their scholarship honored for one more year.

“We’re going to try to find homes for guys who want to transfer,” Harris said. “It’s all part of my job.”

Harris and the other coaches will have to scramble, though, with the signing deadline coming up very soon. For athletes like Geoff Hiscox, a junior tennis player who has been ranked as high as the 65th best player in the country, a scholarship possibility could be in jeopardy at another school because there is such little time left.

Hiscox teammate Vitek Wild said Hiscox was already searching for other schools.

“If he doesn’t find a school soon, he’ll be out of a scholarship and have to wait until next winter to get one,” Wild said.

“I’ve been through this now as both a coach and player,” Harris said. “Our tennis team got cut at Ohio University my freshman year, and I have been a part of four programs that have been cut. I don’t think the administration truly understands what it’s like to do this to our athletes.”

The cut has an even more drastic effect on tennis and the Mid-American Conference.

“We need six teams in the MAC to have representation in the NCAAs,” Harris said. “I’m sure the MAC coaches will be extremely disappointed about this happening. I thought this was one of the reasons we were safe.”

Julian said the program is looking for possible alternatives to keep his team around. One would be to raise money with alumni backing, but the figure to keep the squad going is estimated at around $1.5 million.

“I love this school to death and will work with Paul Krebs and the University to be positive in this sad time,” Julian said. “I hope we can try to find a way to keep a program that has been around since 1939 alive, but I also know the reality of all this.”

“The bottom line is the athletic department is running deep in deficit and has to make cuts,” Harris said. “It would be great if the NCAA could step up and help with men’s sports. If they could make cuts to scholarships of larger sport across the nation and keep all men’s sports where they should be … not just football and basketball.”

The BG football team receives 88 scholarships, while the tennis team receives four.

“About a year ago, the NCAA Executive Committee proposed a deal to give football programs between 75 and 85 scholarships, but it didn’t go through,” Julain said. “That would have been dynamic for other sports. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge football fan. This stuff pits sports against sports and coaches against coaches.

“This is the pressure that BG is under. … It’s a very difficult time. I don’t know what it does in the lives of the tennis and track coaches. We?re all friends here.”

The men’s indoor and outdoor track teams were unavailable for comment.