MiraCosta College Trustees Slash Sports Teams : Education: Only one men’s team and four women’s teams survive the budget ax.

The governing board of MiraCosta College voted Tuesday night to scale back the North County school’s intercollegiate program by two-thirds after defeating a recommendation that would have led to the demise of the entire program.

The Board of Trustees voted, 5 to 2, for the cutbacks, despite pleas from more than a dozen speakers--athletes, alumni, coaches and concerned parents--to save the program. The sports spared were men’s basketball and women’s cross-country, track and tennis.

No speakers in the audience of 80 favored elimination of intercollegiate athletics. The trustees were also presented with a petition, signed by more than 800 people that stated their wish that the sports program be continued.

Tuesday’s vote means that the community college will have only three full-time intercollegiate coaches.

Men’s basketball coach Clete Adelmen said, “I think it may be leaving the door open for the rest of the sports. But I’m not happy for women’s basketball, baseball and soccer. They deserved a chance too.”

The trustees passed the proposal after defeating a recommendation by board member Henry Holloway to eliminate the entire intercollegiate athletic program.

“I felt there was no need to keep the four sports, and that we should just go ahead and get rid of the whole thing,” Holloway said during an interview Monday. “A long time ago, athletics at MiraCosta was something the community endorsed and supported, but today it’s not supported at all by the athletics community, attendance-wise or financially.”

Only 171 of the more than 9,000 students who attend MiraCosta’s Oceanside and San Elijo campuses participate in the school’s intercollegiate athletic programs, coached by a staff of five full-time and seven part-time faculty members.

Dick Robertson, vice president of student services at MiraCosta, who made the recommendation to scale back sports, said several factors have spurred campus administrators to review the athletics program, including an announcement by Tom Shields, dean of physical education and athletics, of his plans to retire in June.

Robertson also cited tough financial times now facing the state.

“California is in a fiscal crisis, and California higher education is in an even greater fiscal crisis. We’re trying to respond responsibly to it,” Robertson said.

Shrinking the program to four sports will save the college an estimated $250,000. The elimination of the entire program would have saved $350,000.

Adelman, the men’s basketball coach, said he believes a college without an athletics program would create a “sterile” environment.

“What bothers me is that, if you drop all sports, you’ll never get anything back, but if we maintain something, then at least we’ll get something back,” Adelman said.

Kristen Steffen, MiraCosta student body president, said she had heard from few people outside the athletics community on the proposals.

“I think the silence has spoken for itself,” she said. “I think the majority of the students here are here for academics, not to have the No. 1 sports team in the nation.”

John Mullender, vice president for business at MiraCosta College, echoed Steffen’s sentiments, pointing out that the average age of MiraCosta’s students is 31.

“The majority of the student body is not into pep rallies. They’re returning to upgrade their skills and to get transfer credits,” Mullender said.

The sports eliminated were women’s volleyball, softball, basketball and men’s tennis, baseball, track, soccer and cross-country.