" Wrestler Barrett Abel... who will be a senior at Davis next year qualified for the NCAA Division I championships this year. He [was] slammed by the seemingly sudden decision to discontinue the Aggies's very successful wrestling program... Most devastating to the wrestlers is the fact they were told that their program, which generates the second highest amount of revenue ($70,000) just behind football ($90,00), would not be affected. Athletic Director Greg Warzecka assured wrestling coach Lenny Zalaesky that the football and wrestling programs were âsafe.â The wrestling staff was notified 10 minutes before the announcement that the program was on the chopping block... Wrestling is popular at UC Davis and enjoys one of the better attendance ratios of any sport on campus... In addition, the program has a large alumni base and strong community support. It's had some of the best fund-raising activities of any sport on campus... Davis was one of the last University of California or California State University campuses to offer a wrestling program. While it's the sixth most popular sport in the nation, it is treated badly in Division I colleges. Davis packed 5,200 people into the gym for one event and raised $20,000 in one fund-raiser. Given the spector of eliminating the program, it's clear the team and the staff could have found ways to keep it â had they been given the chance. There are more than 25,000 high school wrestlers in California but their options to continue their careers and further their education are diminishing. "
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