ROCHESTER, N.Y. - In an effort to balance its budget for the 2020-21 academic year and in response to the ongoing challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Roberts Wesleyan College has been forced to make a difficult decision that impacts its athletic department. The college will discontinue three of its sports teams: men's tennis, women's tennis and men's golf.
 
This decision will impact 16 (5%) of Roberts Wesleyan's 302 student athletes, as well as two head coaches, who were all notified of the news earlier today by the college's Director of Athletics, Bob Segave. 
 
"All college students have suffered from consequences caused by the pandemic, but this one especially impacts college student-athletes," Director of Athletics Bob Segave said. "These young women and men have worked their entire athletic careers to play college-level sports, and we understand—and share—the heartbreak they are experiencing. In the past few months college students have had unfair and unexpected disruptions in their academic semesters, college graduations and semesters abroad. And now sports. We share their frustration and disappointment. We wish it didn't have to come to this." 
 
Any and all student-athlete scholarships will be honored if students choose to stay at Roberts Wesleyan. The eliminations are, in part, an effort to right-size the college's athletics department for a school of 1,000 traditional undergraduate students. The institution looked at a variety of factors such as financial commitments (scholarships, operating costs), sustainability of programs, the cost to maintain and improve facilities and a comparison of sports sponsored by East Coast Conference institutions. Roberts has a moderate athletics budget among East Coast Conference teams, but is at the top in the number of sports sponsored within the conference.
 
"We know this decision will also be felt beyond the student-athletes," Segave noted in an email to the affected student-athletes. "It impacts your teammates, your coaches, your parents and your support systems. We know it will affect your college careers—and even your futures. Please know this decision was not made lightly and we will continue to support you in any way we can." 
 
Four new students were expected to join one of these three teams for the 2020-21 academic year and have been notified accordingly. Roberts Wesleyan will continue to support 16 NCAA DII competitive sports teams and will continue to compete as a member of NCAA Division II.















































































 

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