After various fundraising efforts, the Truman State University men’s tennis team has reached its goal and will return for the 2018-19 season, but the University’s wrestling team is still fundraising to compete this school year.
Junior Ashton Mutuwa said he transferred to Campbellsville University in Kentucky to wrestle after the cut.
Mutuwa said he began wrestling in eighth grade and wrestled for Truman for two years. He said he wanted to wrestle for all four years of college and wanted to continue with a new program.
“I would have never been at Truman if not for wrestling,” Mutuwa said. “That was the only reason I was ever there in the first place.”
Mutuwa said the cut was done unprofessionally. He said the cut distracted him from his studies because the team was cut right before finals without any warning, and he wasn’t able to say goodbye to the friends he had made through wrestling.
Mutuwa said the situation should have been handled better. He said Truman didn’t offer much support to the players, and he said he is looking forward to joining the new program at Campbellsville.
“That was what made me feel frustrated with everything,” Mutuwa said. “I really liked this school at first, but they really kind of screwed us over here, and then they didn’t help us out at all.”
Wrestling captain redshirt senior Zach Taylor said the team has until Oct. 10, 2018 to reach a $75,000 goal to fund a new season because of state budget cuts. Taylor said the team has raised $41,000 to date and will continue to keep fighting to maintain the program.
Taylor said this $75,000 goal was created after a meeting with University President Sue Thomas. He said the team threw around a lot of numbers and Thomas helped them decide their goal amount.
For more, pick up a copy of The Index on Aug. 23.