PROVO — The West Coast Conference announced Thursday that the WCC President’s Council is delaying the start of fall sports until Sept. 24 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
A release stated that the “health and safety of all student-athletes” is “paramount in all decisions.”
This means that teams that compete in the fall — men’s and women’s cross-country, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball — are impacted by this announcement and cannot begin competition until Sept. 24.
The men’s and women’s basketball competition seasons, scheduled to begin Nov. 10, are not affected by this decision, the league said. This decision does not apply to sports that are not sponsored by the WCC, including the BYU and San Diego football seasons.
“As we make plans for our fall athletic seasons, we appreciate the dialogue and attention the WCC has gone through to review the variety of circumstances at member schools and consider the safety of our student-athletes,” BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said in a statement. “We are in the process of working on our fall sports schedules given the parameters provided by the WCC and appreciate the flexibility to schedule non-conference competition with other universities.”
Baseball, beach volleyball, men’s and women’s golf, women’s rowing, softball and men’s and women’s tennis, which conduct their seasons in the spring, will not participate in a fall competition scheduled prior to Sept. 24, according to league officials.
“While difficult, this is a necessary move to ensure we are providing the safest environment for our programs to compete,” West Coast Conference commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement. “We have worked on plans for a variety of circumstances and believe, with our actions guided by information and science, this is the responsible decision at this time. We will continue to evaluate our best path moving forward with the health and safety of everyone involved as the guiding principle of our discussions.”
According to the WCC, “in-person voluntary and mandatory athletically related activities outside of competition, including training and practices, may be conducted at the institution’s discretion in accordance with NCAA regulations and local health and safety guidelines.”
The release added that “discussions focused on the health and welfare of WCC students, personnel, fans and local communities. The conference and its membership understand that providing a safe environment while dealing with this virus has an impact on each of our campus communities as well as our global community.”