OCU Athletics has postponed the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 concerns.
The decision, announced Sept. 20, comes after the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics canceled all fall championships with the intention of rescheduling them to the spring portion of the season.
“The health and safety of our student-athletes, as well as all involved in our championship events, is the NAIA’s highest priority,” the NAIA national office stated in an announcement in March. “We will continue to monitor COVID-19 developments and NAIA leadership will work closely with our member institutions to determine the best path forward for future NAIA events, including all spring 2020 championships.”
Bill Popp, president of the NAIA National Administrative Council and director of athletics at Reinhardt University, said the National Administrative Committee of the NAIA is confident in their decision to reschedule the fall championships.
“We feel good about resetting these dates after taking a good look at our fall championship events, and being able to find dates that fit our membership and most of our host venues,” Popp stated in a memo on the official NAIA website. “This was a tough task and the group that has been working together both from the national office and NAC have really done an exceptional job. My hat is off to them for their hard work.”
The Sooner Athletic Conference, subject to NAIA guidance regarding practices and non-conference competitions, followed suit in moving all fall league championships to spring 2021.
The university’s decision primarily affects fall and winter sports, with cross country, soccer, wrestling, volleyball and basketball delaying all games and competitions until the spring semester.
Jim Abbott, OCU athletics director, said university administration made the decision to delay the season in conjunction with the athletic department.
“The primary consideration was the health and well-being of student athletes, non-student athletes, faculty and staff,” Abbott said. “We wanted to avoid sending teams to interact with people outside our campus, sometimes requiring physical contact.”
Abbott said the men and women’s golf season will continue as scheduled, making it the only fall sport unaffected by the announcement.
“Golf is played outdoors with no physical contact, and it is very easy to physically distance,” Abbott said. “Also, the three golf tournaments our teams are competing in are all in Oklahoma City, so they won’t require significant travel or contact. That was the one sport we felt most confident in being able to continue.”
Abbott said the news was disappointing for affected coaches and student athletes.
“I think everyone understands, but when you take away what people are passionate about, it is naturally emotionally difficult,” Abbott said. “It’s challenging, but we all understand that the priority here is the university. We are committed to doing everything we can to further Oklahoma City University.”
Brett Tahah, head women’s basketball coach, said her team is handling the news with grace.
“The girls are staying incredibly positive, and we are looking forward to picking back up in January,” Tahah said. “We’re still working extremely hard and keeping up our work ethic towards our goals.”
Tahah said practices will continue with COVID-19 precautions, primarily focused on skill work and conditioning.
“Practices are basically staying the same as they were at the beginning of the semester,” Tahah said. “We’re still working in small groups and doing a lot of weight lifting to keep in shape for our new spring season, and are being overly cautious on everything we’re doing to help mitigate the spread.”
Tahah said the trials the team has faced have helped her grow as a coach.
“As a coach, I feel like it’s been great because I’ve gotten to know the girls over the past couple weeks on a different level since we’ve been working in smaller groups,” Tahah said. “That has been really helpful for me.”
Olivia Nutter, volleyball middle blocker junior, said the announcement was disappointing but did not come as a surprise.
“However, it was a little shocking that we found out so late. Our first game was supposed to be around Oct. 16, so we had been practicing and conditioning, and because we were getting really close, we were starting to think we were going to go ahead with the full season. So, that was upsetting,” Nutter said.
Nutter said the volleyball team members have helped each other cope with the news.
“We’re all really good friends, so we’ve been there for each other through all this,” Nutter said. “We’re just trying to look at the fall semester as extra practice time, so we can hopefully come out of this really strong in the spring.”
Nutter said she is optimistic about the spring season.
“It’s really sad to think about the fact that we would be well into our normal season by now if things were normal, and it’s kind of weird to think about playing in the spring, but I do think it was probably a smart choice,” Nutter said. “I understand why they made the decisions they did. I’m not too upset about it, because at least we will have a season at all. I know we will have a season at some point.”
Nutter said the team will continue taking as many COVID-19 precautions as possible throughout the semester and into the spring season.
“As it is, we spread out our water bottles, can’t be too close to each other, and have to wear masks during practice, and I’m sure all that will continue when the season actually starts,” Nutter said. “I’m sure when we start playing other teams we’ll have to be even more strict and have more to think about, like how often we sanitize everything. Our athletic department has made sure we’re all staying safe and healthy, so I have faith that it will be okay.”
Nutter said even with the added precautions and schedule changes, she is excited to one day get back on the court and compete.
“I’m just looking forward to being able to play six-on-six with my team again,” Nutter said. “We miss it, and I’m just excited that we will be able to play at all.”
Nutter said the season delay has brought the entire university athletic department closer.
“We’re being more empathetic and understanding towards each other because we know how hard it is not being able to do what we love and what we came to this school to do,” Nutter said.
For sports-related COVID-19 updates, visit OCUSports.com.
Leave a Reply