Mountain West postpones 2020 fall sports
8/10/2020 3:30:00 PM | Football, General, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Cross Country
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West has announced the indefinite postponement of all scheduled fall sports contests and MW championship events in response to ongoing challenges with the effective mitigation and management of the COVID-19 virus in conjunction with athletic competition. The MW Board of Directors prioritized the physical and mental health and well-being of the Conference's student-athletes and overall campus communities in its decision – as it has done throughout the course of the pandemic.
The fall sports affected by today's decision include men's and women's cross country, football, women's soccer and women's volleyball (with the exception of the unique circumstances involved with the military service academies). Last week, the league announced that all fall competition in the sports of men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, women's swimming and diving, men's and women's indoor track and field, softball and baseball was canceled. At this time, there are ongoing discussions regarding the status of winter sports.
The Mountain West will begin to explore the feasibility of rescheduling fall sports competition, including the possibility of those sports competing in the spring, and develop options for consideration. Athletically-related activities and training opportunities for enrolled student-athletes will also be evaluated consistent with NCAA legislation and guidance, as well as state, local and campus parameters.
"Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our students, student-athletes, coaches, faculty, staff and overall communities," said Dr. Mary Papazian, President at San José State University and Chair of the MW Board of Directors. "Through the hard work of many over the past several months, the Conference made every effort to create an opportunity for our student-athletes to compete, and we empathize with the disappointment this creates for everyone associated with our programs. The best interests of our students and student-athletes remain our focus and we will persist in our efforts to forge a viable and responsible path forward."
"Since the start of the pandemic, our membership and staff have been working diligently to prepare for a fall sports season," said MW Commissioner Craig Thompson. "We were hopeful we could carefully and responsibly conduct competition as originally scheduled with essential protocols in place. However, numerous external factors and unknowns outside our control made this difficult decision necessary. I fully understand the impact of this outcome on our student- athletes, coaches, administrators and staff who work so hard daily to play the sports we all love, and I share in their disappointment. We will continue to navigate this pandemic together, overcome the obstacles and return to intercollegiate athletics at the earliest opportunity."
-mw-
"We are supportive of the Mountain West Conference Board of Directors' decision regarding fall sports. As we have stated from the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and community have been, and will continue to be, our number one priority.
"We will continue to work diligently to provide our young men and women the resources needed to support their academic, athletic, and personal development pursuits in alignment with Fresno State's mission, to boldly educate and empower students for success."
- said Director of Athletics, Terry Tumey
"I am incredibly proud of each member of our program, including our student-athletes, coaches and support staff. From the very beginning back on March 12, every member of our team has worked together to forge ahead and take care of business day in and day out despite dealing with such uncertain and unprecedented circumstances. Our young men and our coaches never wavered despite a continually moving target. They prepared daily to stay the course, and they represented themselves and our University like champions. It's been said that adversity reveals character, and while these times have been challenging, I am so proud of the unity, progress, and inspiring communication that has taken place, and will continue to take place, within our program.
"I'd also like to commend our departmental and campus leadership for their efforts to keep all of our student-athletes safe amidst this pandemic. To my knowledge, we were the only, or one of the only, FBS schools in the country that had yet to bring back student-athletes and that was because our administration and our coaches felt so strongly about ensuring the health and safety of our people.
"As we look ahead, I have no doubt that Fresno State Football will be back stronger than ever because of the good people that we surround ourselves with. We've talked since January about attacking each day with a starving mindset and being unified in all that we do, neither of those goals change with today's announcement. We will make the Red Wave and all of Bulldog Nation proud of our resolve and how we respond."
- said Head Football Coach, Kalen DeBoer
The fall sports affected by today's decision include men's and women's cross country, football, women's soccer and women's volleyball (with the exception of the unique circumstances involved with the military service academies). Last week, the league announced that all fall competition in the sports of men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, women's swimming and diving, men's and women's indoor track and field, softball and baseball was canceled. At this time, there are ongoing discussions regarding the status of winter sports.
The Mountain West will begin to explore the feasibility of rescheduling fall sports competition, including the possibility of those sports competing in the spring, and develop options for consideration. Athletically-related activities and training opportunities for enrolled student-athletes will also be evaluated consistent with NCAA legislation and guidance, as well as state, local and campus parameters.
"Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our students, student-athletes, coaches, faculty, staff and overall communities," said Dr. Mary Papazian, President at San José State University and Chair of the MW Board of Directors. "Through the hard work of many over the past several months, the Conference made every effort to create an opportunity for our student-athletes to compete, and we empathize with the disappointment this creates for everyone associated with our programs. The best interests of our students and student-athletes remain our focus and we will persist in our efforts to forge a viable and responsible path forward."
"Since the start of the pandemic, our membership and staff have been working diligently to prepare for a fall sports season," said MW Commissioner Craig Thompson. "We were hopeful we could carefully and responsibly conduct competition as originally scheduled with essential protocols in place. However, numerous external factors and unknowns outside our control made this difficult decision necessary. I fully understand the impact of this outcome on our student- athletes, coaches, administrators and staff who work so hard daily to play the sports we all love, and I share in their disappointment. We will continue to navigate this pandemic together, overcome the obstacles and return to intercollegiate athletics at the earliest opportunity."
-mw-
"We are supportive of the Mountain West Conference Board of Directors' decision regarding fall sports. As we have stated from the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and community have been, and will continue to be, our number one priority.
"We will continue to work diligently to provide our young men and women the resources needed to support their academic, athletic, and personal development pursuits in alignment with Fresno State's mission, to boldly educate and empower students for success."
- said Director of Athletics, Terry Tumey
"I am incredibly proud of each member of our program, including our student-athletes, coaches and support staff. From the very beginning back on March 12, every member of our team has worked together to forge ahead and take care of business day in and day out despite dealing with such uncertain and unprecedented circumstances. Our young men and our coaches never wavered despite a continually moving target. They prepared daily to stay the course, and they represented themselves and our University like champions. It's been said that adversity reveals character, and while these times have been challenging, I am so proud of the unity, progress, and inspiring communication that has taken place, and will continue to take place, within our program.
"I'd also like to commend our departmental and campus leadership for their efforts to keep all of our student-athletes safe amidst this pandemic. To my knowledge, we were the only, or one of the only, FBS schools in the country that had yet to bring back student-athletes and that was because our administration and our coaches felt so strongly about ensuring the health and safety of our people.
"As we look ahead, I have no doubt that Fresno State Football will be back stronger than ever because of the good people that we surround ourselves with. We've talked since January about attacking each day with a starving mindset and being unified in all that we do, neither of those goals change with today's announcement. We will make the Red Wave and all of Bulldog Nation proud of our resolve and how we respond."
- said Head Football Coach, Kalen DeBoer
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