The Northwest Athletic Conference announced today it has canceled the remainder of spring athletic seasons due to COVID-19 concerns, which means Blue Mountain Community College’s softball and baseball seasons are over before league games even had a chance to begin.
All athletic practices and meetings have also been canceled for spring. The decision falls in line with what many other community college collegiate athletic conferences have done, including the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA), and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
“While we expected this day to come, the news is no less devastating to our student-athletes, coaches, and fans,” said BMCC Director of Athletics Dawn DiFuria McClendon. “Despite these cancellations, our coaches, Timberwolf athletic staff, and BMCC will work with students to stay connected, engaged and informed as we navigate through these challenges.”
Scholarships and other grant aid for baseball and softball student-athletes at BMCC will be honored for the remainder of the year. BMCC is working with student-athletes to maintain their athletic eligibility, to have virtual study halls, and remote meetings with Student Success Coaches. Student-athletes will also be able to maintain strength and conditioning training through a web-based training product called Volt. BMCC coaches purchased the online tool for student-athletes two years ago, and will be using it even more now for independent training practice during the spring to keep athletes in competition shape.
Practice for rodeo teams remains cancelled for the remainder of March, but a decision from the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) has yet to come regarding the remainder of spring rodeo competition. BMCC is slated to host a Northwest Region rodeo April 24-26 in Hermiston.
