Concordia University athletics postponed until at least Jan. 1, 2021 after league vote

Concordia University Irvine’s intercollegiate fall sports are postponed until after Jan. 1, 2021 after the PacWest Conference Executive Board’s unanimous decision on Thursday in response to the coronavirus pandemic which has haulted college sports since March.

PacWest fall sports include men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball.  Concordia University Irvine competes in all five of those sports in the PacWest, while the CUI men’s water polo team is a member of the Western Water Polo Association.

“While this decision postpones fall 2020 sports competition, institutions will still be allowed to conduct organized team activities at their own discretion, including workouts, practices, strength and conditioning, and access to their athletic training staff, as local, county, and state guidelines permit.  Options for moving fall sport schedules into the winter/spring are being developed and reviewed,” according to  a release from the conference.

“While this decision was not made lightly, it was necessary to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes,” said CUI Athletic Director Crystal Rosenthal.  “We value our student-athletes and the time and commitment that they pour into Eagle Athletics and we look forward to the future when we can all return to competition.”

“The health and safety of our student-athletes is our top priority,” PacWest Commissioner Bob Hogue said. “We remain committed to giving all of our student-athletes a positive competitive experience as much as possible.” 

A decision on the start of the 2020-21 winter sports season, as well as the non-championship segments of spring sports, is expected to be made by Oct. 1, officials said.

“This was a very difficult, but well-thought-out decision and one that so many individuals worked together on over the past several weeks,” Hogue said. “We’re appreciative of everyone’s efforts and look forward to a time when we can all be safely out on the field of play again.”