The Mountain West announced on Monday it has decided to postpone the fall sports season over COVID-19 concerns.
The conference cited the country’s ongoing struggles to keep the coronavirus under control as the main reason for the decision. The Mountain West’s decision follows a path the Mid-American Conference paved when it postponed football and other fall sports on Saturday.
Member institutions decided managing the virus while having a season was too difficult, according to the league’s press release.
“Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our students, student-athletes, coaches, faculty, staff and overall communities,” Dr. Mary Papazian, President at San José State University and Chair of the conference’s Board of Directors, said in the release.
“… [T]he conferences 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,” Papizan added. “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.”
The decision comes days after the Mountain West canceled all fall competition in a number of sports. Those included:
- 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
- Baseball
The conference is also considering whether it would be feasible to move fall sports to the spring. In the meantime, however, it is allowing teams to continue activities as long as they comply with state, local, NCAA and campus regulations.
The Mountain West said it is subsequently evaluating the status of winter sports.
