PORTLAND, Ore. – Citing the health and safety of student-athletes as the overriding concern, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference CEO Board today voted unanimously to suspend all intercollegiate athletics competition through Nov. 30 due to COVID-19.
"Today our conference made a difficult, yet necessary decision to suspend intercollegiate athletic competition through November 30th. Due to the varied locations of the institutions in our conference, asking our teams to travel to multiple states within two countries just isn't responsible and safe at this time as this health crisis continues to escalate," interim executive director of intercollegiate athletics Randi Lydum said. "We are in the process of determining if it will be possible to shift our fall sport seasons to the winter and spring and will have additional information as plans develop. At this time, our winter and spring sport seasons have not changed. As our campus begins to re-open in the coming weeks, we will begin training and practicing at our facilities and with our coaches. This is frustrating and sad but we are doing everything we can to get our student-athletes back on campus and safely participating in sport and campus life."
The CEO Board said it will continue to monitor developments related to the pandemic and make a decision by Oct. 15 regarding the status of competition after Nov. 30.
Today's announcement, which affects all 17 sports sponsored by the GNAC, precludes contests of any kind against outside competition regardless of whether a sport is in the championship or non-championship segment of its playing calendar. Conference members will have institutional autonomy regarding organized practice activities, according to the CEO Board.
"This was not a decision taken lightly but one the Board believes is in the best interests of student-athletes and staff," GNAC commissioner Dave Haglund said. "There is no greater priority than the health and well-being of our student-athletes and this action is reflective of the GNAC's commitment to this prevailing principle. We understand that many student-athletes will be disappointed and saddened by this news, particularly our seniors, and we have profound empathy for everyone affected by this decision, including non-conference opponents. We can only ask for their thoughtful understanding during these challenging and unprecedented times."
Haglund said that conference governance groups have already engaged in active discussions for providing meaningful seasons of competition for the conference's fall championship sports, including the feasibility of playing in the spring.
Make sure to check wouwolves.com for all the latest updates for this ever-evolving process.
