Two local athletes impacted by Cal Baptist wrestling program cut

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Nearby Cal Baptist University has decided to cut the men's wrestling program at the conclusion of this season.

“We have closely monitored the shifting landscape of intercollegiate athletics that has affected institutions across the nation,” said Micah Parker, Ph.D., vice president for Athletics.

“While we had hoped to continue offering our full slate of athletic programs in this new environment, it has become clear that changes are required to realize the university’s goal of achieving greater competitive excellence that the new Division I era demands.”

The full release regarding cancellation of the men's wrestling program can be found HERE.

Two Palm Desert high school graduates, David Alonso and Dylan Guillermo, are on the team and have been heavily impacted by the decision from the university.

"At first I didn't think it was real," Alonso said.

"I was just, like, overwhelmed and shocked and even in tears," Guillermo said.

Alonso and Guillermo are sophomores at California Baptist University, which was a dream for each of them competing at the highest collegiate level.

"Initially it's just a Division I program, like, just right down the road from where I live," Alonso said. "As soon as I went on my visit, I just felt like the coaches believed in me, and CBU was something I believed in.”

“I've been familiar, and then with David's commitment to CBU, I kind of wanted to follow my Palm Desert brother," Guillermo said.

The two former Aztecs took the journey to CBU together, but on Jan. 2 the two were called into a meeting with the rest of the team. In the meeting, the athletes said the CBU athletic director informed them the university is cutting it's Division I wrestling program after this season. 

“I just had a gut feeling like, 'Oh my goodness,'" Alonso said. "I looked around and everybody's face was just dropped.”

A sudden decision the athletes feel they weren't warned about or given a clear reason for.

“He just openly said, 'Yeah, apologize. We had a meeting today and your programs cut,' and he walked out," Guillermo said. "And I believe there is an email giving some reasons about Title IX and not enough community backup. But like his reasoning administration's reasoning, it just doesn't feel feel right.” 

Since the meeting, the team has joined together with the supporting community and alumni to form the "Keep CBU Wrestling" coalition.

"In less than a month, we raised over $1 million. We have several endorsements from several political figures and leaders in our community," Nolan Kistler, an alumni of CBU, said. "CBU’s the only Division I wrestling program in Southern California... so a lot of these wrestlers are in a very difficult position."

Players and fans wear "Keep CBU Wrestling" shifts to the duals hoping their message is heard.

“Even if the program guys does end up not seeing another day, the community won't stop fighting this," Alonso said.

While the initiative has over 100 supporters, Alonso and Guillermo are still left having to plan for the future as the university's decision has not changed.

“The administration offered to, on our scholarships if the program gets cut,” Alonso said.

“I'm looking at a possibility that I might just never wrestle again,” Guillermo said.

CBU men's wrestling has created a website as part of their efforts to save their program. You can find that HERE.

Stay with KESQ News Channel 3 for the latest developments on this story.