Takedown Report

Stanford Wrestling Scores a Reversal!

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Great News for college wrestling fans as the sport will continue at Stanford next season! The University’s decision to cancel wrestling and10 other sports programs generated a large backlash and news coverage. The media stories all mentioned wrestling as an important sport at Stanford. Yet the decision did coast the school thei best coach in wrestling history. Coach Jason Borelli’s 122 dual meet wins is the most by any coach in Stanford’s history. He has left to lead the program at American University in Washington D.C. We wish him and his family well as they will get to see the sights and events on the east coast. For coaches looking for an opportunity to lead a quality team at a top class school they can apply at Stanford. Best wishes to you.
Contact us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – Stanford Announces the Continuation of 11 Varsity Athletics Teams
STANFORD, Calif. – Bolstered by an improved financial picture with increased fundraising potential, Stanford will continue 11 varsity sports that had been slated for discontinuation at the end of this academic year.
Stanford leaders announced today that while the structural financial challenges facing Stanford Athletics remain very real, changed circumstances including newly galvanized philanthropic interest have provided a new path to support the 11 sports. “We have new optimism based on new circumstances, including vigorous and broad-based philanthropic interest in Stanford Athletics on the part of our alumni, which have convinced us that raising the increased funds necessary to support all 36 of our varsity teams is an approach that can succeed,” said Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne.
In recent weeks and months Stanford officials have been engaging with groups of alumni, including the 36 Sports Strong group, that have been seeking to raise private funds to support Stanford’s teams. Stanford’s 36 varsity teams represent twice the average number of teams at NCAA Division I schools, and the university made the difficult decision last July to discontinue 11 of the teams due to a growing structural budget deficit in the athletics program.
Retaining all 36 teams will require a large-scale fundraising campaign for Stanford Athletics, and “we will need to ask for the support of the Cardinal faithful like never before,” Tessier-Lavigne, Provost Persis Drell and Director of Athletics Bernard Muir wrote in a letter to the Stanford community announcing the decision.
The 11 teams – men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling – will continue competing as varsity teams at Stanford. “I am thrilled that we have found a way to continue sponsoring these varsity sports, which are an important part of the fabric of this university,” said Muir. “I believe the future is extremely bright for Stanford Athletics and am eager to begin the important work of galvanizing our community and cementing Stanford’s position of leadership and excellence in intercollegiate sports.” … rest of story at https://gostanford.com/news/2021/5/18/stanford-announces-the-continuation-of-11-varsity-athletics-teams.aspx

2 } – Two months after Shane Griffith’s NCAA title, Stanford reverses decision to cut wrestling
Shane Griffith joins Darren Cooper on Varsity Aces Live to talk about his crazy year, his championship and what he expects to happen next.DARREN COOPER AND MICHAEL V. PETTIGANO, NORTHJERSEY.COM
Moments after winning an NCAA wrestling title in March, Shane Griffith donned a ‘Save Stanford Wrestling’ sweatshirt as fans chanted that same mantra.
On Tuesday, that plea from Griffith and wrestling fans throughout the St. Louis Enterprise Center and beyond was granted by Stanford University. The school overturned its decision from last summer to discontinue wrestling, along with 10 other sports, thanks to an improved financial picture, university officials said Tuesday.
Griffith, a Westwood native and Bergen Catholic graduate, beat Pittsburgh’s Jake Wentzel in the 165-pound final to become just the second national champion in the 104-year history of the Stanford program. (Matt Gentry is the other, winning the 157-pound title in 2004.)
His run through the bracket, which included a dramatic sudden-victory upset of top-seeded Alex Marinelli (Iowa) in the quarterfinals, brought national attention to the “Keep Stanford Wrestling” crusade. 
Griffith, who has three years of college eligibility remaining, now has a decision to make. He graduated from the school, so he can return to Stanford as a graduate student or transfer and enroll as a graduate student at another university. He said last month that he considered North Carolina, Michigan and Penn State to be his top choices.
It’s not yet clear how Stanford will rebound from a recruiting standpoint. Some of Griffith’s teammates have been in the transfer portal and the program is currently without a head coach after Jason Borelli left last month to take the head coaching job at American University. … rest of story at https://amp.northjersey.com/amp/5151114001?mc_cid=ad9587b873&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – Stanford Reinstates Wrestling
STANFORD, Calif. – Bolstered by an improved financial picture with increased fundraising potential, Stanford will continue 11 varsity sports including wrestling that had been slated for discontinuation at the end of this academic year.
Sanford leaders announced today that while the structural financial challenges facing Stanford Athletics remain very real, changed circumstances including newly galvanized philanthropic interest have provided a new path to support the 11 sports.
“We have new optimism based on new circumstances, including vigorous and broad-based philanthropic interest in Stanford Athletics on the part of our alumni, which have convinced us that raising the increased funds necessary to support all 36 of our varsity teams is an approach that can succeed,” said Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne. … rest of story at http://www.win-magazine.com

4 } – Stanford students sue to stop school from canceling some varsity sports programs
Stanford’s decision to eliminate 11 varsity sports, nearly one-third of its intercollegiate sports program, was challenged in federal court Wednesday by athletes on eight of the teams, who say the university hid its intentions, misled them into enrolling and violated their rights. A separate suit by female athletes on five of the teams accuses Stanford of sex discrimination.
“The students are at the top of their game, and will lose the irreplaceable, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fulfill their dreams to compete at the varsity level if Stanford is not stopped from eliminating these teams,” attorney Jeffrey Kessler said in a statement accompanying the suits, filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose.
“Stanford’s athletic opportunities disproportionately go to men already, and the plan to cut teams will affect more female athletes than male athletes,” said Rebecca Peterson-Fisher, lawyer for the women.
The university, whose overall intercollegiate sports program has been honored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics as the most successful in the nation for more than two decades, announced abruptly last July that it would terminate 11 of its 36 varsity programs at the end of the 2020-21 school year for economic reasons. … rest of story at https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/Stanford-students-sue-to-stop-school-from-16169879.php?mc_cid=cc121404a4&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Athletes sue Stanford over plan to eliminate 11 sports by end of school year
Stanford women file separate suit in federal court claiming sex discrimination over cuts
A group of Stanford athletes sued the university Wednesday over plans to cut 11 non-revenue sports programs at the end of the current school year for budgetary reasons made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Athletes from eight of the teams filed a suit in U.S. District Court in San Jose while women athletes from fencing, field hockey, rowing, squash and synchronized swimming alleged sex discrimination in a separate complaint in the same court.
The complaint said university officials misled students about their opportunities to participate at Stanford, home to the country’s most successful intercollegiate athletics program, thereby denying them a chance to pursue their sports at other colleges.
The first complaint alleges fraud, intentional misrepresentation and breach of contract.
In the parallel suit, women athletes said the planned cuts will eliminate more than 100 athletic participation opportunities for female athletes, leaving Stanford in violation of Title IX, the 1972 law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs.
The complaint said that the women would have to give up their Olympic dreams in favor of completing their Stanford educations if their five sports are not reinstated. … rest of story at https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/12/athletes-sue-stanford-over-plan-to-eliminate-11-sports-by-end-of-school-year/?mc_cid=cc121404a4&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – “You can’t cut me” – Stanford athletes and supporters rally to save athletic teams
When The Stanford Review learned that a massive protest event with hundreds of people would take place on campus today, we felt that we had to be there to get the facts. As Stanford’s premier outlet for coverage of mobs, sit-ins, angry mobs, blood-curse rituals, mobs blocking traffic, and crowds of activists, people rely on the Review for all their protest news.
The rally was organized by a group called “36 Sports Strong” to encourage the Board of Trustees to reinstate eleven varsity sports teams that were cut in July of last year (men’s fencing, women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed rowing, women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball, and wrestling). Alumni and athletes have campaigned for months to reinstate the teams, without success. The “Keep Stanford Wrestling” campaign raised over $12.5 million in the past year. But pressure on the Trustees picked up noticeably when a Stanford wrestler won the NCAA championship match two months ago. Today at 3:00 p.m, the Trustees met to reconsider their earlier decision, a dramatic shift. … rest of story at https://stanfordreview.org/stanford-athletics-rally/?mc_cid=db281dc0f1&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – Stanford Olympians lobby school to not cut 11 sports programs
Olympic fencer Alex Massialas and water polo star Maggie Steffens say Stanford can set an example by reinstating sports set to be cut
Two prominent Stanford Olympians on Thursday called on their alma mater to reinstate the 11 sports the university intends to cut because of budget issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fencer Alexander Massialas and water polo great Maggie Steffens said during the virtual Olympic media summit that Stanford can create a model the rest of the country can follow.
“Stanford sets an example amongst all the other NCAA schools as to how to have successful programs while also maintaining academic and athletic excellence across every single sport,” said Massialas, a two-time Olympic medalist in foil. Football and men’s basketball are the two major revenue-producing sports and get the most resources and attention at Division I schools. “Right now it is extremely dire,” Massialas added. “Everyone should acknowledge the current NCAA model is broken.”
In July, Stanford officials announced they would cut 11 sports at the end of this academic year. The sports are men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling. … rest of story at https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/04/08/stanford-olympians-lobby-school-to-not-cut-11-sports-programs/?mc_cid=0dc666bfba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – Can Stanford wrestling, and 10 other programs, be saved?
On July 8, 2020, Stanford wrestling coach Jason Borrelli was on the back nine during a round of golf when one of his assistant coaches sent him an unusual text.
Why are we locked out of our social media accounts?
“That’s weird,” Borrelli thought. He didn’t have an answer. The assistant reached out to a member of Stanford’s sports information department and was told the social media accounts were down for routine maintenance. Borrelli didn’t think much of it, but on the 18th hole, he got another message.
What’s this emergency zoom meeting we need to be on?
“I thought maybe there was just some announcement everyone needed to hear, but it was odd,” Borrelli said. “So I went back in and read the email again and this is when it hit me like a ton of bricks. It had head coach and assistant coaches from 11 programs. There’s no football, there’s no basketball. Well, this isn’t good. I still thought, ‘There’s no way — no way. They’re not cutting our program.”
Then his wrestlers started asking him why they, too, had an emergency zoom call. For Borrelli, that served as unofficial confirmation of the scenario he had been trying to convince himself wasn’t happening. A short while later, athletic director Bernard Muir made it official. … rest of story at https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/31229795/can-stanford-wrestling-10-other-programs-saved

9} – Effort to save Stanford sports gains traction: ‘Productive’ meeting with president
The door is cracked open to Stanford sports reinstatement. That’s the takeaway from Tuesday’s meeting between 36SportsStrong and university brass. The alumni group committed to saving the 11 Stanford sports programs slated for termination met by video conference with Stanford decision makers, including President Marc Tessier-Lavigne. “It was a productive meeting,” said Jeremy Jacobs, a former volleyball player and the spokesman for 36SportsStrong. “It is clear that President Tessier-Lavigne is considering our petition to reinstate the sports and our proposal to self-fund the teams. He told us he would consider it over the next few weeks. We will stay engaged with him.”
Tessier-Lavigne has asked for the advice of the university’s full board of trustees on the proposal. The board of trustees’ athletic subcommittee was involved in Tuesday’s meeting. … rest of story at https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/annkillion/article/Effort-to-save-Stanford-sports-gains-traction-16098848.php?mc_cid=d0f3fda251&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – Stanford’s Jason Borrelli hired as new head coach of AU wrestling
Borrelli brings an impressive resume with him to AU
By Owen Dunn | Thursday, April 15, 2021
After 13 strong seasons as the head wrestling coach at Stanford University, Jason Borrelli will bring his impressive track record to the East Coast, as he is set to take over as American University’s head coach, the University announced Tuesday. 
In Borrelli’s last season coaching the Cardinal, Stanford wrestling finished with two All-Americans, its first national champion in 17 years, and swept the Pac-12 awards including Borrelli’s second Coach of the Year honor. Seven of the Cardinal starters qualified for the NCAA Championships. AU’s athletics department is excited to hire a coach with an impressive resume.
“I’m tremendously excited to announce Coach Jason Borrelli as American University’s Head Wrestling Coach,” said Billy Walker, AU’s Director of Athletics & Recreation, in an AU press release. “He has demonstrated excellence in all facets of running a nationally respected program. He takes great pride in cultivating a family atmosphere in his program and has a laser-like focus on ensuring his student-athletes succeed on and off the mat.” 
Walker said Borrelli has a reputation of caring about the development of student-athletes.
Over Borrelli’s 13 seasons, the Cardinal sent 35 different wrestlers to the NCAA Championships – a total of 64 times. Over the past 13 seasons, American has sent wrestlers to the NCAA Championships 48 times. During his tenure, Borrelli’s wrestlers earned 21 individual Pac-12 championships, the most during any 13 years in program history.  Despite leaving behind a successful program like Stanford, Borrelli and his wife Jenna are excited to switch coasts. … rest of story at https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2021/04/stanfords-jason-borrelli-hired-as-new-head-coach-of-au-wrestling?mc_cid=831636c404&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

11 } – OPTIMISM ON STANFORD SPORT REINSTATEMENTS AFTER PRESIDENT MEETS WITH ALUM GROUP
BY JARED ANDERSON 10 April 16th, 2021
Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne met with alumni advocacy group 36 Sports Strong, sparking optimism that 11 sports could be reinstated.
Stanford announced last summer that it would be cutting 11 varsity sports, including synchronized swimming and aquatic-adjacent sports rowing and sailing. Other sports cut were wrestling, men’s volleyball, squash, field hockey and women’s fencing.
That comes during a year that was brutal on Olympic and non-revenue sports at the college level, with multiple Division I swimming & diving programs cut amid financial issues in the coronavirus pandemic.
But The Stanford Daily reports that both sides say they are optimistic after the meeting between the school president and the alumni organization.
“We believe President Tessier-Lavigne and the Board’s Athletics subcommittee are trying to lead an earnest effort to review the decision,” said 36 Sports Strong representative Jeremy Jacobs in the Daily story. “We look forward to continuing the conversation about how this plan will work for Stanford students … rest of story at https://swimswam.com/optimism-on-stanford-sport-reinstatements-after-president-meets-with-alum-group/?mc_cid=22fcb0de91&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

12 } – Stanford student athletes demand reinstatement of 11 sports
PALO ALTO, Calif. – Student athletes at Stanford University are demanding the school reinstate 11 sports after the school announced the sports would be dropped.
Some student athletes gathered at the school Monday to say they want to keep playing. The school announced last summer that it intended to cut the sports as a cost cutting measure. The student athletes tell said they are hoping for a buzzer beating decision that would save their sports at Monday’s board of trustees meeting. 
The on-campus gathering of athletes and their supporters was in hopes of saving the sports currently set to be dropped at the end of this academic year.
The university announced last July that the sports, including wresting and synchronized swimming, would end after this academic year due to budget issues made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the course of the year the synchronized swimming team went on to win a national championship, and while one swimmer said she is proud of that achievement, she still remembers the devastation of learning this may be the last year she swims for her school. … rest of story at https://www.ktvu.com/news/stanford-student-athletes-demand-reinstatement-of-11-sports?mc_cid=c1dee7f2bb&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

May 19, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized