The cancellation of college sports continued in Wisconsin Friday. The chancellors of the eight UW schools that make up the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference voted unanimously to postpone the winter sports seasons through the end of 2020.
That will impact men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, women’s gymnastics, and wrestling.
— WIAC (@wiacsports) September 18, 2020
“I don’t think this is a surprise at all,” says WIAC commissioner Danielle Harris. She adds the earlier decision by the NCAA Division III administration committee to not have any competitions during the fall season played a key role in the WIAC’s decision.
Harris says the focus has been on the health of student athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Everything that we’re dealing with right now, the level of uncertainty, the level of trying to understand how this disease impacts the body; and there’s just not a lot of data out there currently right now.”
With the Big Ten Conference deciding earlier this week to resume the football season in October, Harris says that had no impact on the WIAC’s decision to postpone the winter season. “When you look at the current landscape of our counterparts in the area, this was pretty much on par with what everyone is doing right now.”
As for the possibility of resuming sports in 2021 during the spring semester, Harris says that is still under consideration. The WIAC will be using the NCAA’s guidance, along with the advancements in medicines and testing, to help them plan their changes in the winter sports season.
“We’re continuously evaluating the landscape and trying to find ways that we can get to the competition field safely,” says Harris. “We’re looking at what the calendar is going to look like moving forward, and obviously knowing that we have to be nimble and flexible given the circumstances.”
Overall, Harris says she is impressed with how those directly impacted by the postponement on the eight campuses have handled the vast changes the pandemic has created. “Our students are extremely resilient. They understand the landscape on what’s going on right now. Our coaches and our administrators on our campuses are doing a fantastic job with trying to engage our student athletes and guide them through this very difficult time.”