New Mexico men’s soccer among 4 teams on the chopping block

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Top officials at New Mexico’s flagship university are looking to eliminate four sports teams and make other changes to its troubled athletics department as it faces budget problems and falls short of meeting federal gender equity requirements under Title.

University President Garnett S. Stokes and Athletic Director Eddie Nuñez announced their recommendations to cut men’s soccer along with the skiing and beach volleyball programs. They will present their plan to the Board of Regents during a special meeting Thursday.

Men’s soccer has perhaps the highest profile nationally of Lobos men’s sports, having twice reached the Final Four and the championship game once.

Head coach Jeremy Fishbein, who has been quite vocal in support of the athletic department and his program, planned to be at the meeting with some of his players.

“Lobo men’s soccer is too important to our state!” he wrote in an email after the recommendations were made public.

If the regents were to approve the plan, the four sports proposed for elimination would be discontinued as of July 1, 2019. University officials say they will honor the scholarships of the affected student athletes through their graduation.

Stokes said the decision has weighed heavily on her.

“The university is faced with very difficult decisions and tough choices, but we must act now to ensure the long-term stability of Lobo athletics,” she said in a statement. “Regrettably, the recommendations do include a reduction in sports, the least desirable measure but one that will help alleviate our financial concerns and work towards putting us in compliance with federal law.”

The athletic department overspent its budget nine of the past 11 years, resulting in a deficit of nearly $5 million. While it was tasked with reducing its annual spending by nearly $2 million by 2020, officials are still predicting a recurring deficit of $2.3 million in 2019.

In April, regents approved a plan calling for reducing the number of sports to help close the spending gap and cut future expenses. With 22 sports, New Mexico supports the most programs in the Mountain West. The national average is 16 to 18.

Stokes and Nunez say other changes will be needed to balance the books, such as moving some functions from the athletic department to the main campus and that the university has to look at boosting its own support of athletics.

An analysis of the university’s sports programs found that over the past decade, expenses have continued to increase, revenues have decreased and the operating budgets for each sports program have been incrementally reduced.

The reduction of sports and roster modifications will save an estimated $1.148 million annually, according to the report.

As for the Title IX requirements, a report issued in May by an independent firm showed that there were 317 men participating in sports compared with 247 women, resulting in inequity when considering the percentage of men and women who make up the university’s overall enrollment of full-time undergraduates.

The disparity is greater when viewed in terms of athletic scholarships. Men received $4.74 million in aid, or 62.6 percent, compared with $2.83 million, or 37.4 percent, for women.