Pepperdine University Announces Two Athletic Programs to Be Cut - Scout.com

In response to the current economic environment and the need to reduce its budget, the Pepperdine University Department of Athletics announced today that it will discontinue two of its varsity athletic programs following the 2008-09 school year. The two sports that are affected are women’s swimming and diving and men’s track. The total number of varsity teams that Pepperdine sponsors will be reduced from 16 to 14, with seven men’s squads and seven women’s teams. “It is with great regret that we came to this conclusion,” Pepperdine Director of Athletics John Watson said. “The last thing that we want to do is to reduce opportunities for our students at Pepperdine, but the current economic realities dictate that budget cuts must be made.