The Lion’s spirit is certainly alive in the hearts of all of our student-athletes.  Some of my fondest MSJ memories over the past four years have been watching our student-athletes reach the pinnacle of success in their sports due to their talent, hard work, and determination.  However, there is no place at the Mount where COVID-19 presents more safety challenges than in the execution of athletics.  

Mount St. Joseph News

 

7/27/2020

 

Update on 2020 Fall Athletics at the Mount

Mount Students:

 

This has been another busy month at the Mount, and campus is abuzz as we excitedly await your return in just a few weeks.  With the recent spike in COVID-19 cases across the nation and our region, it is clear that the virus presents all of us with enormous challenges—not just as a University, but also as a people and as a society.  Our “new normal” continues to evolve and pose new risks to us, and we must evolve with it and mitigate those risks to you and our community.  Now more than ever, it is imperative that the Mount deliver on its commitment to provide you with an unsurpassed education that nurtures your mind, body and spirit, despite these challenges.

 

The Lion’s spirit is certainly alive in the hearts of all of our student-athletes.  Some of my fondest MSJ memories over the past four years have been watching our student-athletes reach the pinnacle of success in their sports due to their talent, hard work, and determination.  However, there is no place at the Mount where COVID-19 presents more safety challenges than in the execution of athletics.  

 

As I previously shared with you, the Mount, as a member of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC), will follow HCAC decisions regarding fall athletics.  Due to the inherent risks that COVID-19 currently presents to student-athletes in contact sports, and with student-athlete safety as the number one priority, the HCAC is announcing today that it is delaying the 2020 fall conference regular seasons and championships for football, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball until spring 2021. The HCAC will move forward with the planned 2020 fall conference regular seasons and championships in women’s golf and cross country because those sports are not contact sports and present much lower safety risks based on current health agency data.  Additionally, fall competitions for baseball and softball, which will not count toward HCAC standings, will be scheduled because these sports present low safety risks. The HCAC continues to evaluate its plans for other sports that usually start in the fall, including men’s and women’s basketball, and will announce its decision in the near future.

 

I know that the HCAC’s decision to delay the football, soccer, and volleyball seasons is extremely disappointing to many of you who are student-athletes on those teams, and that you will have many questions about what a delay in your season means to you.  I assure you that many weeks of discussions and much analysis went into this difficult decision.  The goal is that the conference regular season and championships for football, soccer, and volleyball can be held in the spring semester when it is expected that there will be less health risk and schedule-disruption from the virus.  I believe this was the right decision based on what we know right now, and is the best path forward to give our football, soccer, and volleyball teams the opportunity to safely achieve success this academic year.      

 

Within the Mount’s Athletic Department, our coaches, athletic trainers, and administrators have developed health and safety protocols that will allow all of our student-athletes to safely train and condition, whether their seasons and championships are in the fall or spring.  Today, MSJ student-athletes will be contacted by the Athletic Department about fall plans for all sports.  In the coming days, each of our teams’ head coaches will contact their student-athletes to discuss the specifics of their sports, to discuss training plans and anticipated competition schedules, to answer questions, and to address concerns.  I am grateful to my colleagues in the MSJ Athletic Department for their leadership, resilience, and adaptability as they navigate the unusual 20/21 year.  Of course, we will continue to alert you to any additional updates from the HCAC as they become available.

 

Let me conclude where I began, which is with sincere excitement for your return to campus.  We are working tirelessly to prepare for a healthy and fulfilling fall semester. Please know of my prayers for you and your loved ones and stay well this summer.

 

Sincerely,

H. James Williams, Ph.D.
President