Big Sky, West Coast & Western Athletic Conferences postpones fall sports, including cross country...

Eastern Washington and Gonzaga runners compete in the
2019 Clash of the Inland Northwest meet
(photo courtesy EWU Athletics)

The Western Athletic Conference , West Coast Conference, and the Big Sky Conference announced the postponement of all fall sports through news releases posted Thursday morning.

Both conferences cited the global COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges facing its member schools as the main factors behind the decision to postpone fall sports.

On Monday (August 10), Eastern Washington made the decision on its own to suspend all fall sports, when the Big Sky announced on Friday August 7th to postpone the league's football schedule to the winter/spring.

“While I am confident that our conference is making the right decision for the health and safety of our student-athletes, it breaks my heart knowing how disappointing this will be to all of them who were eagerly anticipating the opportunity to compete this fall,” Big Sky Conference commissioner Tom Wistrcill said. “Our efforts in the conference office now will focus on doing everything within our power to make their spring season the best that it possibly can be, which includes advocating for their NCAA championships to be held then. As campuses begin re-opening this fall, we hope that everyone remains safe and healthy while we continue to learn more about how best to manage this fluid situation and its impact on higher education.”

"It obviously was a difficult decision, and not one made lightly," said WAC commissioner Jeff Hurd. "But it was one made after extensive discussion and consideration of all relevant factors as well as input from conference administrators and the Medical Advisory Committee."

"We empathize with our student-athletes," said West Coast Conference commissioner Gloria Nevarez. "This is a difficult decision, but it is the responsible decision based on the available information associated with conducting competition in the current environment. WCC programs compete for national titles and we never want to take these opportunities away. However, health and safety will always be paramount in guiding our decisions."

"While heartbreaking and difficult, the health and wellbeing of our student-athletes remains the utmost priority and the decision not to compete this fall is in the best interest of the Seattle U community," said Director of Athletics Shaney Fink.

In a joint statement, Gonzaga men's and women's cross country coaches Pat Tyson (left/photo courtesy Gonzaga University) and Jake Stewart said, "As a coaching staff, our first thoughts of today's news are about the student-athletes who are part of Gonzaga's Cross Country program. We know how hard they worked this summer to prepare for cross country, how badly they wanted to race with their teammates and ultimately know what goals they all were striving for. We hurt for them. But we also know as a group we have to do what's necessary to protect ourselves, our teammates and the Gonzaga community. We all understand the gravity of the decision that was made, and the thought that went into it. Knowing that, we all have to do our part. Our hope now is for our student-athletes to have the chance to grow closer to one another this fall, support each other, and find every aspect of being a team that's available to them given the current circumstances. That's important to us all. We can all keep working hard for ourselves and one another. When the next opportunity comes for us to represent Gonzaga University, we'll be ready."

Eastern Washington was supposed to open its season on September 1st, as they were scheduled to host the Clash of the Inland Northwest meet.

Seattle University was scheduled to host the Western Athletic Conference cross country championship meet on October 31st, after hosting the meet at Jefferson Park Golf Course two years ago, in what many in attendance considered one of the best staged conference championship meets ion recent memory.

The decision by both the Big Sky and the Western Athletic Conference puts the number of schools and conferences around the country in Division I well past the 50 percent mark that the NCAA requires to postpone or cancel the Division I cross country championship meet (second to last bullet point in link), scheduled for November 21st in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Unlike its counterparts in Divisions II & III, the NCAA, which cancelled fall sports championships in those divisions earlier, left the decisions to play up to the individual conferences and the Division I Council.

On Tuesday, the Pac-12 Conference announced its decision to postpone fall sports. Three of the Power 5 conferences--the Big 12, Southeast, and Atlantic Coast Conferences, have not made decisions on whether or not to proceed with fall sports.

NOTE: The Big Sky Conference, Western Athletic Conference, West Coast Conference, and the sports information offices of Gonzaga, Eastern Washington and Seattle University contributed to this report.

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