CCAA suspends fall athletics
Humboldt State's teams prepare for uncertain future
The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) announced Tuesday evening the indefinite suspension of all fall athletics in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The CCAA, which houses Humboldt State's various NCAA Division 2 athletic programs, made the decision hours after California State University Chancellor Timothy White said virtually all 2020 fall instruction will be done online.
“…With utmost consideration for the health and welfare of our students, coaches, staff, faculty and communities, CCAA member institutions have determined that NCAA sport competition will not occur during the fall of 2020. The CCAA member institutions will continue to advocate strongly to maintain NCAA championship opportunities for all of our student-athletes, including our fall sports, during the 2020-21 academic year and recommend competition resume when it is safe and appropriate to do so for all of its members,” Tuesday's statement from the CCAA read.
HSU fields five athletic teams in the fall: Men's and women's cross county, men's and women's soccer and volleyball seasons are now all on life support as the conference ponders how to proceed.
Recently appointed HSU athletic director Jane Teixeira
said in a Tuesday release from the university, “We are disappointed by this, of course. It's incredibly difficult to see competition suspended this Fall. What it is important to keep in mind is that the well-being of our studentathletes is the highest priority, and on balance, today's decision based on the available information seems to be the right one.”
Men's soccer head coach Fred Jungemann said he was caught off guard by how early in the year the CCAA's decision was made.
“I was surprised by the timing,” Jungemann said. “I think the decision came sooner than we all expected.
“It feels like we are in this never ending cycle of getting bad news, and this feels like another piece of that,” the coach said.
Women's basketball head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson, who's team — like all college basketball programs — plays during both the fall and spring semesters, said planning for the season at this point is a tough task. There will almost assuredly be a loss of preseason training time before any sort of season is played.
“There's certainly a lot of questions now, like what our basketball season will look like,” the coach said. “I am hoping we can start by January, but everything is so up in the air right now that it's premature to speculate.”
Multiple coaches and athletics officials expressed a belief to the Times-Standard on Wednesday that the CCAA is looking at possibly playing all or many fall sports in the spring, but the conference has not authenticated any rumors to that end.