Wisconsin Soccer Central

In a move likely to dramatically alter the state's college soccer landscape, UW-Oshkosh announced Monday that it will eliminate its highly successful men's soccer team following the 2015 season.

In an announcement posted on its website, the school cited significant expected budget cuts from the state as the main impetus for the decision to end its men's soccer and men's tennis programs and re-organize its track and field and cross country programs. (Read news release)

The school will host a public forum to discuss the decision on Wednesday, starting at noon in Room 307 of Reeve Memorial Union. Some current and former athletes started a Facebook page called Save Our Titans in hopes of rallying support for the programs facing elimination.

The Titans have long been a state and regional power in NCAA Division III men's soccer, with a 412-118-52 all-time record and 13 NCAA tournament appearances. They've had 30 consecutive winning seasons since going 6-7-0 in 1984 in their inaugural season, the eighth-longest such streak in Division III soccer history, and have done so primarily with Wisconsin athletes – 19 of the 26 players on their roster last fall were state natives.

Toby Bares started the Oshkosh program and amassed a 344-99-38 record in 26 seasons as coach – he ranks 10th in Division III history with a .755 winning percentage and is 23rd in career victories. Wytse Molenaar took over the program in 2010 and has a 68-19-14 record in his five seasons at the helm.

The news release referenced an analysis done in 2010 and a financial audit from 2014 that suggested the UW-Oshkosh athletic department reduce the number of its offerings to provide maximum experience to its student-athletes. Additionally, the elimination of two men's sports will bring the school closer to the federal Title IX guidelines regarding gender balance in sports.

"With a significant budget reduction being anticipated from the state, it makes sense to look at the portfolio of programs being offered and decide what still makes sense for UWO," athletic director Darryl Sims said in the release.

"We owe it to our students to provide a high-quality and positive competitive experience. As costs rise and budgets shrink, that becomes more difficult, therefore we need to look at what we offer with a critical eye."

According to media reports, eliminating the men's soccer program will save UW-Oshkosh $61,000. Phasing out the men's tennis program and the changes to the track and field and cross country programs will save another $92,000, for a total savings of $153,000. The athletic department's annual budget is nearly $1.3 million.

UW-Oshkosh officials are bracing for cuts of up to $7.5 million, part of a proposed $300 million reduction in funding for the UW System in the 2015-17 state budget.

Men's soccer and men's tennis were targeted because those programs no longer will participate in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The WIAC men's soccer competition ended last fall after six seasons. NCAA rules dicate that a minimum of five teams are needed for a conference, and the WIAC was reduced to four when UW-Superior left for the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference.

Even with five teams, the WIAC didn't meet the NCAA standards for a conference to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament, meaning its teams essentially are treated the same as independents.

"We looked at whether the sport had a conference championship to participate in and if it was an automatic qualifier in the WIAC conference, among other criteria," Sims said. "If we offer a varsity sport, we want to make sure the experience is optimal for the student-athlete, and if not then we need to decide if the funds to operate it are better leveraged in other programs."

The news release acknowledged the school could consider eliminating additional sports following the 2016-17 school year, the second year of the state budget.

"This is the hardest decision I've had to make as the athletic director,” Sims said.

A Q-and-A that accompanies the news release includes a question about whether the affected programs can fundraise to continue their teams. That approach has worked elsewhere – for example, UW-La Crosse announced plans to eliminate its baseball and men's tennis programs in 2009, but both programs found alternate funding sources and still are playing today.

The answer from UW-Oshkosh on that question: "No. A healthy program needs stable, ongoing funding."