What Boise State may not have realized is that its sudden, seemingly out-of-the-blue decision will have a huge impact on wrestlers and programs outside the state of Idaho.
For starters, the elimination of wrestling at Boise State leaves the entire state of Idaho without an NCAA Division I wrestling program. In fact, now there will be few D1 mat programs remaining west of the Rocky Mountains. Idaho will join Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada and Washington without a single Division I wrestling program, according to the Utah-based Desert News. Another set of states -- Arizona, Wyoming, Oregon and Utah -- have only one school with a D1 program.
Furthermore, as Brian Preece pointed out in his piece for the Deseret News Sunday, the elimination of Boise State's wrestling program will create a hole in the schedule of a number of teams in the western U.S.
Saying goodbye to the Broncos also means a loss of college opportunities for top high school wrestlers throughout the Rocky Mountain region -- and for elite wrestlers from elsewhere in the nation -- who find the rugged beauty and matchless opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors (with hunting, fishing, hiking, camping) in Idaho to be an attractive setting to go to college.
Kevin Vough (Photo/Tony Coles, ImpactActionPhotos.com)"It was just a hectic mess," Vough told the Elyria Chronicle-Telegraph. "I thought I was set and was working on going to Boise since the early season, and I just got thrown back out there. It was chaotic."
Once the smoke cleared, Vough did a lot of searching, eventually selecting South Dakota State because of the emerging success of its wrestling program ... and availability of his intended major, general business/entrepreneurship.
Other prep champs who committed to Boise State have had their dreams dashed.
Jose Tapia, a five-time New Mexico state champ at Capital High in Santa Fe, signed his letter of intent to wrestle at Boise State -- becoming that school's first wrestler to earn a Division I scholarship -- less than a week before BSU administrators pulled the plug on the school's wrestling program.
Ethan Rotondo, a two-time Washington state champ at Union High School, thought he could relax, knowing he would be wrestling for the Broncos after signing his letter of intent the same week as Tapia. Ironically, his prep coach went through the same thing years earlier when University of Oregon axed its wrestling program.
Sammy Eckhart after signing with Boise State (Photo/Nik Streng, Angus Observer)Fruitland High senior Sammy Eckhart, a four-time Idaho state champ and labeled "one of the best wrestlers in the state" by Boise State head coach Mike Mendoza -- who had been in that position for just one season -- was yet another young athlete who had committed to the Broncos just before the axe fell on the program.
Austin Harris, a 182-pound Oregon state champ for Roseburg High, was scheduled to sign a letter-of-intent to wrestle at Boise State, but learned two days before that ceremony that the program was being eliminated. (UPDATE: Harris was expected to sign a letter of intent at Oklahoma State on May 16.)
All these prep mat champs now must make other plans ... as well as the athletes who have pulled on a Boise State singlet during their college wrestling careers. Some of these Broncos will seek to transfer to other college wrestling programs, while others may stay at BSU to complete their academic careers ... but not be able to continue in the sport they love and has been an integral part of their lives for years.
There are other colleges in the region that offer intercollegiate wrestling. One is Eastern Oregon University in Le Grande. Its new wrestling program -- the nearest four-year school to Boise to offer the sport -- just completed its inaugural season.
"It's tough to see any type of program get cut, especially one so close to home," Eastern Oregon head coach Dustyn Azure told the Le Grande Observer. "It's horrible for the athletes (and) for the coaches. All around, just not a good thing. And to replace it with a sport like baseball -- nothing against baseball, it's a great sport, but they have different opportunities to go and compete. With wrestling, there are not as many programs.
"Taking away opportunities for athletes is just a bum deal."
Eastern Oregon is prepared to offer wrestlers who had planned to go to Boise State a chance to continue their education and their wrestling careers, in a Pacific Northwest environment. And, as Azure pointed out in his interview with the local newspaper, Eastern Oregon offers in-state tuition rates for athletes -- and all students -- who are from Idaho and Washington State.
The decision made by Boise State administrators to eliminate their nearly-60-year-old intercollegiate wrestling program indeed has implications far beyond the state of Idaho. With that in mind, the wrestling community can take action to see about revising the decision.
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