The UCCS men's golf team last competed together in Hawaii in late October, earning a team championship to cap the fall season and heighten anticipation for the upcoming spring season.
All that excitement vanished on Wednesday, as the university informed the coaches and players from the men's and women's golf teams that the programs would be discontinued following this school year as part of a budget move.
"It’s unbelievable to me," said men's golf coach Phil Trujillo, who has led the program for 24 years. "Our program has been very successful for many, many years. It’s the most successful program in the history of athletics at UCCS. The boys are completely tore up and saddened by the news because obviously we were all caught off guard."
Women's coach Todd Laxson similarly said he was in "shock" and "disbelief" over the news that came with no prior warning.
"This was an incredibly difficult decision, but also necessary in order to ensure the university and department's budget expectations were met," said executive director of athletics Nathan Gibson in a statement on the school's website. "It will now be our top priority to make sure that we support our student-athletes through this transition."
It was Gibson who informed players of the news on Wednesday after the two coaches were first told.
The school will honor scholarships of current players through the 2023-24 school year, but the coaches said most players are likely to look to play elsewhere if spots can be found. With the cancellation coming so late in the school year, however, many programs have already signed players for the 2023-24 season and have no scholarships left to distribute.
Trujillo said he had signed just one player next year, an international recruit from South Africa. Though they have worked for the past two days to find him a different team, so far those attempts have been unsuccessful and there may be no opportunity for him to come to the United States to play.
UCCS has fielded a men's golf team since 1990. The women's team was added in 2013.
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“By discontinuing the men’s and women’s golf programs, the UCCS athletic department will save approximately $260,000 per year in three areas; salary/benefit costs, operating expenses and travel expenses," a UCCS spokesman told The Gazette via email.
The golf teams will compete this spring before disbanding. The men's program will begin its six-tournament season on Feb. 27 at the California State University San Bernardino Coyote Classic. The women's team will play its first of five spring tournaments on March 13 at the Southwest Minnesota State University Spring Classic.
The school said the decision to cut golf will help the remaining 14 programs (baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field, and volleyball) continue to function.
The removal of the golf teams will not impact UCCS College of Business - Professional Golf Management Program, the university said. The PGM program, while requiring a standard of golf proficiency, focuses primarily on the business side of the game. There has been almost no crossover between the men's team and the PGM program. Several women's team members have enrolled in the program, though none currently on the team.
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