On the afternoon of April 2, Michael McGee was shopping with his mother at a Chicago-area Wal-Mart.

Killian Cardinale was unwinding at his residence near campus and Alex Cramer was with family at his parent's home in northern Illinois. 

The three were among 25 underclassmen on Old Dominion's wrestling team who had received notices on their phones to join an urgent Zoom meeting with Athletic Director Camden Wood Selig along with the coaching staff at 4:30 p.m. that day. 

Already dealing with the abrupt end of the wrestling season, campus shutting down and transitioning to online learning due to the coronavirus pandemic, they were left a bit baffled.

"I was running through my mind what the reason for the meeting could be," said Cramer, a true freshman and 174-pound starter this season. "I thought maybe it was about how we should be training or when the campus might open again."

Not quite. 

Selig dropped a bombshell, announcing the school was dropping its wrestling program after 63 years, effective immediately. 

"This still does not feel real," said Cardinale, a sophomore who would have been the team's lone returning NCAA qualifier next season. "I had to call my parents first, so they were in the loop. They kept asking, 'Are you serious?, Are you serious?'. They were really shocked." 

Old Dominion released the news on its web site soon after the meeting.

"We are saddened to have to make this decision, but it’s one that was made with the long-term best interest of the athletics program in mind,” Selig said in the release. “No one wants to reduce opportunities for young men to compete and represent Old Dominion, but we are required to be responsible with departmental resources. Our decision became even more clear during this coronavirus crisis, which we know will have significant impact on future athletics budgets. This decision will better allow the remaining sports to compete at a national level.”

Selig went on to explain the decision came after a six-month study of the college’s athletic programs by an outside consultant. That consultant looked at current and future financial challenges and evaluated Title IX compliance, and recommended the discontinuation of a varsity sport. The move will save an estimated $1 million.

Most of this was explained during the meeting, but McGee said nobody really heard much of anything after learning the wrestling program was no more. 

"I was confused about why there was a meeting in the first place and almost didn't join in time because I forgot that it was actually at 3:30 Chicago time," the two-time NCAA qualifier recalled. "Then, our whole world changed, as if it hadn't changed enough already. It was just so disappointing and nobody saw it coming."

McGee, who has two years eligibility remaining after redshirting this season, explained the shocked expression that had come over his face to his mother before breaking the news to his father.

"Mom was like 'Oh, that's awful' and dad was stunned and really didn't want to believe what I was telling him," McGee said.

Schools must offer at least 16 sports to compete at the FBS level in football. Old Dominion had a sport to give, so to speak, after the addition of women's volleyball left it with 17. Volleyball begins its first season this fall. The school now offers nine women's and seven men's programs. 

"The news was overwhelming at first because I have put my life into wrestling and have a great passion for the sport," Cramer said. "I have put in a lot of hard work into becoming a Division 1 wrestler and to have it taken away in an instant was really rough."

The worst part? Cramer was not the only member of his family affected by the shocking development. 

He walked through the family's home in Grayslake, Illinois, situated between Chicago and the Wisconsin border, looking for his brother Adrien, a high school junior who won a state championship in February. 

He committed to Old Dominion last fall, but now Alex had to tell him of the program's demise. Their brother Andy, a freshman state qualifier, had also begun to think about joining the Monarchs some day. 

That day will never come. 

"What a big hit to the family as well," Cramer said. "Now, Adrien and I are both looking for new (wrestling) homes."

While any of Old Dominion's wrestlers who choose not to transfer will retain scholarships through the completion of their fourth year and incoming freshman will have scholarships for the coming academic year if they still enroll, that's only a last resort for most.

All who transfer, of course, receive immediate eligibility and McGee, Cramer and Cardinale are not wasting any time searching for new homes because time is short. The NCAA's ban on in-person recruiting through May 31 is complicating the process. 

"I might have to make a decision about where I transfer to without actually visiting that school," Cardinale said. "That sucks because you always to want to get a feel for the campus, but that's our world right now. Coaches are reaching out to me and I'm trying to figure stuff out academically as well like transferring credits."

Coaches are reaching out because Cardinale is on the rise.

After going just 13-17 at 133 pounds his freshman year, Cardinale dropped to 125 this season and improved to 25-9 with three major decisions, two pins and a technical fall. He finished 15th in the final rankings.

Cardinale's most noteworthy wins came against No. 9 Jakob Camacho (North Carolina State) and No. 14 Gage Curry (American). He dropped a hard-fought 2-0 decision to No. 9 Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan) in the MAC title match and was seeded 15th for the NCAA Championships.

Cardinale went 12-3 in his final 15 matches.

"Dropping down to 125 helped because it's the ideal weight for me and I just had more confidence this year," the two-time Virginia state champion said. "I just realized everybody puts on their wrestling shoes one at a time and things clicked for me. I felt better prepared for matches and started winning."

Given his credentials, coaches immediately began contacting McGee, a two-time, 125-pound MAC champion who made the round of 12 at the 2019 NCAA Championships.

He was 50-16 as a freshman and sophomore and 11-0 as a redshirt this season, including a win over NCAA qualifier Nic Aguilar (Rutgers). 

"I've been on the phone with plenty of coaches, trying to sort out what schools to visit," said McGee, a two-time Illinois state champion, said. "Hopefully, I'll be able to actually visit some eventually."

Cramer refused to let sadness overtake him after learning the program's fate. Less than three hours later, he posted his athletic and academic resume along with contact information on Twitter. Within a week, Cramer's post had been retweeted 721 times. 

"I know the timeline is tight for finding a new school, so I wanted to get the ball rolling right away and my tweet blew up," the Illinois state champion said. "I heard from around 30-35 coaches in a short amount of time. It was incredible because I have probably received more interest this time around than when I was first recruited."

The potential Cramer displayed this season was a major reason for that. He was one of only 35 Division 1 true freshman starters (out of 316) and finished 19-20. None of those 35 wrestled more matches than Cramer this season. He finished with five major decisions, two pins and technical fall.

"Coming into the season, it was not fully evident if I would redshirt or not, but I did well enough at early tournaments and coaches decided I was the guy at 174," he said. "I learned I have to put on some size and fully realized how much of a commitment wrestling at this level requires. I took a lot away from this season and I’m working on having a more successful coming up." 

Provided nobody is experiencing coronavirus symptoms, social distancing does not apply to members of the same household. That is perfect for Cramer as he hones his skills and works out at home.

"We have pretty good-sized basement with workout equipment and a mat," he said. "My brothers give me two partners who are about my size to wrestle around with. We are going to make each other better through all of this."

Mark Spezia is a freelance writer based in Lapeer, Michigan. He has written for ESPNW, Flohockey, Flint, Michigan-based My City Magazine, the Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit Magazine and Troy, Michigan-based Oakland Press. He previously worked for the Flint Journal, Lapeer (Michigan) County Press and Daily Mining Gazette in Houghton, Michigan.