College wrestlers from Oviedo have been on a roller coaster ride in the last few weeks, as they found out May 13 that they wouldn't be wrestling anymore, at least at Arizona State University, after ASU unexpectedly announced that it was cutting the wrestling program.

 

But 10 days later, the program was back again, reinvigorated by a group of anonymous donors who gave the university an $8 million endowment to keep the program alive.

 

The shock of both decisions still has some local coaches and ASU athletes confused, but relieved.

"I was like 'you've gotta be kidding me,'" Oviedo wrestling Coach Tom Coffman said of the news that the program was being cut, part of a $1 million budget slash that axed wrestling, men's tennis and swimming from ASU's athletic department.

 

"Two years ago they just opened a state-of-the-art wrestling facility there," he said. "They just recently broke ground for the football program for $8 million."

 

The school's recently hired vice president of athletics, Lisa Love, hoped to cut the athletic department down to 20 teams, similar to her last program at the University of Southern California.

 

That cut in programs would save money, according to a press release sent out by the school.

"Economic realities experienced over a long period of time," the release said, made the cuts a necessity.

 

That's a decision Love said was needed to keep the athletic department afloat.

 

"The decision to discontinue sport programs is a last resort, yet necessary," she said.

 

That shocked Oviedo graduate and scholarship-winning ASU wrestler Kenny Lester, who said the decision came without warning.

 

"They told us nothing," he said after the announcement. "We're in a state of shock."

A dream was suddenly shattered. In the last three years, four Oviedo wrestlers had joined the ASU team, reuniting an Oviedo dream team that had won multiple state championships.

 

"To be able to compete with your high school friends at a college program is unusual," Oviedo Coach J.D. Robbins said. "To be able to be in a top-10 program is really unusual, but what's extraordinary is they all get there, and the program collapses."

 

The school didn't tell the wrestlers about their athletic eligibility or the status of their scholarships, Lester said. All the school said, in a letter sent to the wrestling team, was that the program was canceled, effective immediately.

 

Some Oviedo wrestlers were already on their way out before the axe dropped. A string of Lions had passed through the halls of ASU in recent years, drawn there by the success of the school's wrestling program, which frequently ranked in the top 10 in the nation.

 

Lester was from the most recent class of top-tier wrestlers to sign with the school, following teammates Jason Robbins and David Green. Robbins' brother Jesse also signed with the school to arrive in the fall of 2007, but decided to take a break from wrestling.

 

But trouble within the program soon sent Jason Robbins looking for another school. He's not sure if he's staying at ASU after the turmoil that's engulfed the program. When he arrived at the school, it was ranked No. 5 in the nation. By last season, it was No. 36. Funding, controversial coaching, and team unity could all play into whether he departs for good. Lester's career also hangs in the balance.

 

Green isn't waiting. He was only at ASU for three months before he transferred to Gardner-Webb University, where he's a redshirt freshman. Fighting, partying and falling grades shocked Green into leaving, J.D. Robbins said. He joins former Oviedo teammate Nick Roehrick.

 

For Jesse Robbins, a former national champion, hints of a collapse may have kept him out of danger. He's at community college after taking a break from wrestling, with plans to transfer to the University of Central Florida.

 

And for the team that was once united, the future is anybody's guess.

 

"It's a shame," J.D. Robbins said. "It was a dream for them all to wrestle together. Now that's over."