Members of the Eastern Michigan wrestling team will have their voices heard on Saturday, expressing their disapproval of the university's decision to cut the program, along with three others, this week.

In conjunction with the Michigan Youth Wrestling Association state championships, a protest to save the EMU wrestling program will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo.

About 7,000-10,000 people are expected to be in attendance for the state championships, said protest organizer David Dean, who also is a wrestling coach at Lowell High School.

"We are bringing them (EMU wrestlers) out and having the kids tell their story in front of the whole crowd," Dean said. "It ought to be pretty interesting.

"I connected with them and said, 'Hey why don't you guys come on down for this? You have a story to tell. They wanted to come down, so we are doing it."

On Tuesday, EMU announced it is cutting the wrestling, softball, women's tennis and men's swimming and diving programs at the end of the 2018 spring season in an effort to stabilize its budget.

The move affects 58 male and 25 female student-athletes, and will save approximately $2.4 million.

"Eastern Michigan is very tied into the fabric of this state," Dean said. "They fully miscalculated. It is emotional and its personal. It's personal to me, and I didn't even go to Eastern. I just supported them because of the quality of the people who were there. People like Dean Rockwell (World War II veteran and EMU alumnus) and (current head coach) Dave Bolyard and so many of the other folks."

The Eagles' wrestling team finished 8-8, with sophomore Sa'Derian Perry becoming the program's first All-American wrestler since 1999.

Dean said the goal is to get the program reinstated at the university. There are petitions and GoFundMe pages circulating online as supporters look to get the decision reversed.

As of Thursday night, 18,189 have signed an online petition to save the EMU wrestling program. There also has been $1,535 raised on a GoFundMe account created by former Eagles wrestler Mike Curby.

EMU could not immediately comment on what it might take to reinstate the four athletic programs.

"I was completely shocked about it," former wrestler Anthony Abro said of when he heard the program was cut. "I think it's terrible. If you have ever met the coaches, or Dave, you know they do everything for those student-athletes. They don't deserve something like this."

Dean isn't the only one protesting EMU's decision. His brother and football coach at Lowell, Noel Dean, wrote an email this week to EMU football coach Chris Creighton, noting he isn't welcome inside the school.

Not because he doesn't like Creighton, but because of the hasty decision he feels the EMU administration made.

In part of the email sent to Creighton, which was printed by Michigangrappler.com, Dean wrote:

"Chris, I have to do what is right for the state of Michigan. As you know, I have coached high school football in the state of Michigan for the past 27 years. I have great respect for you as a coach and a person. You are just under the wrong leadership at the wrong time. ...

"EMU's Athletic director Scott Wetherbee giving kudos to the team 2 days before giving them the axe. What kind of person does that? ... You are a good man, but you may be at the wrong institution.' "