Wabash College joins the other members of the North Coast Athletics Conference and will suspend the intercollegiate athletics competition until December 31, 2020. The conference, which had previously been working toward a modified fall schedule, built around a health and safety plan developed by athletics and health. Member schools’ medical staff were forced to reevaluate their plan after a new guide published last week by the NCAA.
All college sports programs will be affected, including non-traditional fall season sports (golf and tennis) and those not affiliated with NCAC (wrestling and volleyball).
“This is disappointing news for our student athletes who have been waiting to return to competition as a way to find some normalcy in an upside-down world,” said Wabash President Scott Feller. “It is also a disappointment to the many people who have invested months of time and effort developing plans for sports activities to be a part of our on-campus experience this fall.”
“I look forward to creative ways in which we will develop meaningful activities for our student-athletes, indeed, for all of our students, this semester,” added President Feller.
Matt Tanney, Director of Athletics and Campus Wellness at Wabash, said the College and NCAC are committed to providing meaningful virtual and on-campus experiences for student-athletes this fall. In addition, practices, trainings and training will continue in a tight format, the details of which will be communicated soon.
“Let’s not cover the news: It is a disappointing day for our academic athletes, coaches and staff,” said Tanney. “However, we fully respect this result, given the prioritization of the health and safety of everyone involved in athletic programming. I remain optimistic about the exciting and useful opportunities for Wabash school athletes this fall, thanks to a commitment shared among our NCAC coaches and colleagues in delivering a quality athletic experience. “
Wabash offers 13 intercollegiate sports in the NCAA Division III. The Little Giants won NCAC titles in soccer and indoor athletics in 2019-20, while finishing second in basketball and cross country, and third in soccer and swimming. The College’s wrestling team ranked fifth in the nation at the end of the season. When the competition stopped in March, Wabash led the NCAC men’s sports race.
Wabash will welcome the class of 2024 to the campus from August 7 to 8 and classes will resume on August 12.
“I am grateful for that good work and look forward to the creative ways in which we will carry that work forward to develop meaningful activities for our student-athletes, indeed, for all of our students, this semester,” added President Feller.
