DETROIT – When Marygrove College announced last week that it would no longer offer undergraduate degrees, it was understood that fall 2017 would be the final semester.
But student athletes at Marygrove are finding out they have to leave now. Nearly all of the school's athletic programs are shutting down, with the exception of men's soccer, and the student athletes have nowhere to play. No scholarship means they are scrambling to find new schools.
The women's soccer team has already had 11 practices, and school hasn't even started. But the players knew they wouldn't receive good news at the after-practice meeting they were asked to attend.
READ: Concordia University offers transfer option for displaced Marygrove students
There will not be a soccer team because too many students have bailed since hearing the news that the school is shutting down its undergraduate programs.
"We all cried," incoming freshman Sarah Monte said. "I'm, like, what am I going to do now?"
After the initial tears, the players called their parents.
"The first thing, we knew we had to get everybody taken care of as soon as possible," Athletic Director Steve Bloomfield said.
Coaches started calling other schools to find somewhere else the women could play. The good news is that multiple schools have been very receptive, which has helped tame the panic.
The players said life on the field is also helping them deal with the process.
"Soccer has been the greatest influence and happiness in my life," incoming freshman Hailey Spurgis said.
Eligibility, scholarships, money and test scores will all have to be sorted out at the new schools.
"This is heartbreaking," Bloomfield said. "We want them to know we have their backs."