THE CRUCES – There will be no fall in the state of New Mexico.
New Mexico state athletic director Mario Moccia rated Thursday the most difficult day of his tenure as administrator by informing student-athletes in fall sports that would be postponed and the rest of the fall sports would be canceled in the hope of returning in the spring.
Among the long list of points to prevent fall sports were possible long-term fitness disorders similar to COVID-19, the fact that the independent football program was reduced to 4 games under contract for the 2020 season, the Western Athletic Conference Board voted unanimously to postpone fall sports and the new Mexico governor’s audience needs to prevent fall sports.
“When the WAC (Wednesday) vote fell, it would mean that autumn sports would participate, so it becomes the way to justify those student-athletes participating, but that football can participate,” Moccia said.
Moccia that the school hopes to be able to compete in all sports in spring.
“With the demise of Florida and UCLA (guaranteed football games), this has replaced in recent weeks to give student-athletes the same opportunity I had in the state of New Mexico 30 years ago as a baseball player,” Moccia said. “We’re looking for them to have a chance to compete.
“We know we’re going to take a hit this year, but we’re looking to do everything we can to play.”
Aggies football coach Doug Martin said his players were disappointed, but that Thursday’s announcement still gave them the way forward.
“They sought to play and worked hard to get to that point,” Martin said. “The strangers and things that were happening were difficult to manage mentally for young people. I have a lot of respect for them. They’ve all been wonderful that time.”
The Aggies had dropped to four football games scheduled for the fall as an independent program due to considerations about COVID-19 and 53 other systems across the country, adding that Big Ten and Pac-12 had made decisions in recent weeks.
Martin said the Aggies would continue to train in low season, but it’s unclear what a spring football slate would look like.
“I like the concept of 4 games and I treat it as a glorified spring workout,” Martin said. “I think this can be very useful for players and enthusiasts and generate some interest in the fall. I physically care about players if you play up to 8 games in the spring, then you turn around and play next fall. . I think between 4 and six games is possible and it would be beneficial.”
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham had imposed a mandatory 14-day quarantine for out-of-state travelers, making the organization of football matches a complicated proposition until restrictions calmed down or removed.
“It would be to have a football season and adhere to this existing new Mexico state directive with 40 14 days,” Moccia said. “We’re moving away from the data we’ve had lately.”
The Aggies in the past had a partnership with the University of New Mexico if the state’s two FBS systems thought they were going forward despite the governor’s public comments.
But this week’s Mountain West convention postpones fall sports.
“When Mountain West canceled that, it left us a little alone,” Moccia said. “It’s anything we can think of and when it was postponed it won’t be available.”
New Mexico State Chancellor Dan Arvizu said the school had not been in touch with the governor’s workplace about imaginable monetary relief because the sports branch had canceled $2.75 million in safe games in recent weeks.
“We (the two FBS schools in the state) perceive the governor’s considerations and seek to be attentive to them, but what we don’t need to do is introduce ourselves to our respective conferences,” Arvizu said. “That would lead to much of the decision-making procedure we had to have.”
The New Mexico state volleyball team began the fall practice last week in the hope of a season that WAC had already postponed until mid-September.
The NCAA announced Thursday afternoon that while autumn sports may host competitions in the spring, there will be no fall sports championships.
“I think the big fear for me is for seniors and we have 4 and how it will unfold with their last season,” said NM State volleyball coach Mike Jordan. “Obviously, we all expect to play in the spring. We are happy to be back and train. I think if they said we have to play on the ice, we would do it now.”
While Thursday’s announcement makes the WAC’s resolution official, recent Division I cancellations nationwide have made the fall championships unlikely because the NCAA had in the past ordered that the fall sports championships not be held unless at least 50% of its members could participate. .
If volleyball, women’s football and some form of football season were changed in the spring, the university would be subject to NCAA and WAC testing protocols. The NCAA imposes testing and effects within 72 hours for high-risk sports such as football, basketball and football.
The school began tracking the tests this week through the Ministry of Health, which includes between 25 and 50% of athletes, depending on whether the game is of maximum threat or medium threat.
Arvizu said testing protocols can be replaced until spring, but this would be a challenge.
“Even though our spread rates are low compared to the states around us, with FDA-approved testing, there is a restriction on the amount of testing that can be done due to reagent shortages and this is a real challenge for Arvizu. Array” We have initiated study relationships by examining approaches to perform screening that is mandatory for mandatory frequency and response time so that we have significant results, especially when testing asymptomatic people. Most of the athletes who had the positive tests were asymptomatic.”
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According to an existing new Mexico state estimate, tests on 400 athletes this week through December 31, adding festival events for fall sports, such as season trials for basketball, (about 5400 tests) would charge the university $300,000.
That number would decrease with fewer football games, however, the main campus would have difficulty testing at this rate lately.
“If there was anything positive for the spring competition, I am convinced that what we know about the controls today, we will know much more in the spring,” Moccia said. “I hope the checks aren’t that expensive from the point of view of individual control.”
Autumn sports athletes deserve to be eligible on NCAA Council advice similar to the one followed for spring athletes. Athletes will be awarded a five-year and one-year more festival eligibility extension if they participate in 50 consistent with a penny or less of the maximum number of festivals allowed in each sport.
“It was an obviously complicated decision, not taken lightly,” WAC Commissioner Jeff Hurd said. “But this was done after a thorough discussion and attention of all applicable points, as well as the contribution of the convention directors and the medical advisory committee. The fitness and protection of our students-athletes, the many others related to our athletic systems and all those in which the environment of our campus will be the highest priority.”
Sports editor Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.