The college sports world sent out mixed signals Tuesday regarding the fall calendar.
The Pac-12 announced that it would allow for “voluntary in-person athletic workouts for all sports” to begin June 15. That decree came with a caveat that the workouts are “subject to the decision of each individual campus and where permissible by relevant governmental entities.”
Arizona Wildcats athletic director Dave Heeke said the school would take the Pac-12’s announcement into consideration.
“Arizona Athletics’ re-entry team of medical and operational staff have been working in partnership with campus partners to evaluate and define re-entry strategies for the last month,” Heeke said in a statement. “Our team will consider the recommendations and options given our developing safety protocols, and we will discuss the possibilities with the university’s Re-Entry Task Force and President (Robert C.) Robbins. A comprehensive plan for Arizona Athletics to safely return to campus will be developed based on those discussions.”
Football workouts typically begin in early June, with training camp opening in late July. Arizona is scheduled to start the 2020 season Aug. 29.
In men’s basketball, Arizona is not expected to resume on-campus workouts until July. The Wildcats also have four international recruits who might face coronavirus-related delays in getting to Tucson.
The NCAA allows athletes to have up to eight weeks of instruction over the summer, and UA football and basketball players typically take the maximum.
In normal years, some of the Wildcat basketball players are around for one of the early summer academic sessions, doing individual or small-group work over that time, while the entire team is usually on hand for all of July. But Ryan Reynolds, Arizona’s director of basketball operations, said he could not estimate how many weeks of total instruction the Wildcats will have on campus this summer.
“We’re still not planning on anyone being back in June,” Reynolds said Tuesday. “As of right now, at least for us, it’s all up in the air.”
Guidelines, protocols
The league’s decision came during a meeting of the Pac-12 CEO Group on Tuesday and in consultation with the league’s Medical Advisory Committee. The NCAA previously had opened the door for voluntary on-campus workouts to begin as early as June 1. In March, the Pac-12 suspended organized team activities through May 31.
“As educational institutions, our highest obligation is to the health and welfare of our students, faculty, and staff,” Philip DiStefano, the Pac-12 CEO Group’s chair and Colorado chancellor, said in a statement. “As we considered the pros and cons of taking steps that can pave a path to returning to play, those considerations were foremost, guided by the advice of our own medical experts along with public health officials.”
Said Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott: “The Pac-12 is committed to the well-being of our student-athletes, and the decision to allow for voluntary workouts, subject to a determination by each school, is guided by the advice of our medical experts and will be supported by the detailed protocols established by our medical advisory committee in concert with our campuses’ own safety guidelines.
“As states have either already opened or begin to open up access to parks, gyms and other training facilities, student-athletes should have the option at this time to be in, what for many, will be a much safer environment on campus, where they can have access to the best available health, well-being and training support.”
The Pac-12 also released an extensive set of guidelines and protocols regarding a return to campus and associated athletic activities, adding that “each university will develop its own health and safety plan” consistent with the COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee’s recommendations “along with relevant state and local public-health guidance.” They include:
• Having no known COVID-19 contact for 14 days before returning to campus
• If flying to campus, isolating for seven days before returning to the athletic facility
• Being symptom free and undergoing a pre-participation evaluation
• Setting up a contract-tracing system
• Wearing face coverings at all times
• Undergoing temperature checks before admitted into facilities
• Working out in small groups and cleaning equipment between each individual use
• Maintaining physical distancing
• Encouraging athletes to shower at home
• Having only pre-packaged, to-go meals available in the facility
• Quarantining individuals with infection or suspected infection for at least 13 days
Kickoff times delayed
Meanwhile, it what seemed like a potentially ominous sign for college football in 2020, the powers-that-be announced earlier Tuesday that they had agreed to extend the deadline for announcing the early-season TV schedule past the usual June 1 target date.
Normally around this time of year, conferences announce kickoff times and network assignments for non-conference games. With the ’20 season up in the air because of the coronavirus pandemic, those reveals are being pushed back.
The networks and FBS conferences, including the Pac-12, issued the following joint statement:
“Collectively, the conferences and television networks have agreed to an extension for determining college football’s early-season game times beyond the standard June 1 deadline. These kickoff times and network designations will be announced at a later date as we all continue to prepare for the college football season.”
No clear path forward has been established for college football, although multiple contingencies have been discussed. They include an on-time start, a delayed start, a conference-only format and pushing the season to winter/spring of 2021.
Arizona is slated to open the season Aug. 29 at home against Hawaii. Its other non-conference games are at home against Portland State on Sept. 5 and at Texas Tech on Sept. 19. The UA is scheduled to host Stanford on Sept. 12.
Spring Stars: Some of Southern Arizona's best high school athletes, 2019-2020
Rachael Fox
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Sahuarita High School senior Rachael Fox, posing for a photo, April 18, 2020, Sahuarita, Ariz. She maintained a winning record for all four years of high school. Before school and sports were cancelled in March, Fox was the Mustangs' top player with an undefeated record.
Dakota Crabtree
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Academy of Tucson's Dakota Crabtree, posing for a photo, April 16, 2020, Tucson, Ariz., In four years at AOT, 18-year-old Crabtree has managed to break several school records, starting with the long jump. He set the school record one during the opening meet of his sophomore season, and has gone onto break it every year since.
Leo and Ivan Villa
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Leo Villa, left, and twin brother Ivan, senior baseball players at Walden Grove High School in Sahuarita. Ivan Villa is hoping to attend the University of Arizona next year and major in civil engineering. Leo hopes to major in architectural engineering, academics could win out when it comes time to make the choice.
Isabel Cordova
Track and Field senior at Empire High school Isabel Cordova poses for a portrait at Empire High School, 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way, in Tucson, Ariz., on April 21, 2020. Last year, she took second place in state for javelin (her favorite event) with a throwing distance of nearly 115 feet.
Refugio "Kito" Del Cid
Baseball senior at Desert View High school Refugio "Kito" Del Cid poses for a portrait at Jacobs Park, 3300 N. Fairview Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 21, 2020. With the quarantine in effect, Del Cid's been pitching and hitting ground balls against the wall in his back yard in an effort to stay in playing shape and keep baseball alive in his life. He says his teammates and this season– even in its shortened state– were his favorite part of high school.
Cheyenne Hudson and Laneya Wright
Marana softball players Cheyenne Hudson (pitcher and shortstop) and Laneya Wright (centerfielder) stand for a portrait at Marana Heritage River Park, on April 24, 2020. Laneya Wright and Cheyenne Hudson started playing softball on the same club team a decade ago as little girls, growing up together on the fields.
Ethan Lee
Rincon/University High School junior tennis player Ethan Lee on April 26, 2020. A member of Rincon's tennis team for the past three years, Lee was state champion last year for men's singles, after taking the runner-up spot his freshman year. Always one for a challenge, Lee was considering pursuing a state championship in doubles tennis this spring, before the season was cut short.
Kaitlyn Rendon
Flowing Wells High School junior Kaitlyn Rendon at Jacobs Park in Tucson, Ariz., on April 26, 2020. Rendon plays on FWHS's soccer, track and field and cross country teams as well as on FWHS ROTC rifle team. She has a 3.9 unweighted GPA and is ranked 10th in her class. She's also president of her school's Interact Club, and a member of several others, including National Honor Society.
Preston Gibbons
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Mountain View High School senior volleyball outside hitter Preston Gibbons on May 1, 2020. Gibbons is ranked seventh in his class at Mountain View and will be attending the University of Arizona in the fall.
Alyssa Lopez
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Canyon del Oro High School senior Alyssa Lopez, shown on April 29, 2020, was the school's No.1 tennis player. Several months ago, Lopez started working as a gymnastics coach for kids at Heart and Soul Gymnastics. While the gym is closed because of COVID-19, Lopez has been creating at-home workout videos for the kids.
Kristiana Watson
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Amphitheater High School senior Kristiana Watson says the things she misses most about the season cancellation are losing a chance to play with her cousin and her final year of being coached by her mother on the Panthers’ softball team.
Jesse Avina
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Sierra Vista Buena High School javelin thrower Jesse Avina is planning to join the Air Force after he earns his four-year degree. He’ll start this fall by enrolling at Paradise Valley Community College. He will be on the Paradise Valley track and field team.
Amya Legarra
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Canyon del Oro senior pitcher Amya Legarra was 8-0 with a 2.39 ERA and three complete games when the season was halted. She plans to move to Logan, Utah, this summer, and will soon be majoring in human movement science and playing softball for Utah State University.
Candice Pocase
Santa Rita High School junior track athlete Candice Pocase on April 24, 2020. "In my 20 years of coaching, Candice is one of the most hardworking, dedicated, coachable and fun athletes that I have had the honor to coach," said Luis Blanco, who is also Pocase's track coach. "The words 'no' and 'can't' are not in her athletic vocabulary.
Emily Flowers
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Emily Flowers, a sophomore at Catalina Foothills High School, won a state championship last year and hopes to play at a Division I school someday. Before the coronavirus hit, Flowers was training six days a week at the Smith-Perry Tennis Academy and an academy run by UA tennis coaches. She’s trying to ensure that her game is impacted as little as possible by the change in routine.
Briana Garcilazo
Briana Garcilazo, a senior at Rio Rico High School. Softball is something of a family tradition, as both of her sisters also play. Garcilazo, a pitcher, first baseman and outfielder on Rio Rico’s team, will be continuing her career in college, signing on to play with Mesa Community College next year.
Leo Felix
Leo Felix, senior at Douglas High School, poses for a portrait at 15th Street Park, E. 15th st., in Douglas, Ariz., on May 5, 2020. Felix, outfielder for the Douglas High School Baseball team, is graduating in the top 10% of his class and plans to continue his baseball career in college. "I'm definitely going to try to play somewhere, and I'm going to continue my studies in college," said Felix, adding that he plans to major in business.
Abigail Russell
Salpointe Catholic’s Abigail Russell will next compete for the UA beach volleyball team. She also played the indoor version for the Lancers. When Russell was 10, she discovered volleyball and fell in love. Her brief flirtation with track, dancing and everything else was over.
061321-tuc-spt-springstars-p4
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Emmanuel Corral, 18, is looking forward to running for Pima College in the fall.
Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage
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Softball player Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage poses for a portrait at Salpointe Catholic High School on May 7, 2020. Arizona’s 2019 All State Catcher and Defensive Player of the Year, Aguilar-Beaucage plans to continue her softball career at Grand Canyon University like her older sister.
Ryan Zuniga
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Ryan Zuniga is hoping to follow his cousin’s footsteps and earn a college scholarship. Keith Zuniga played at Bethune-Cookman and was a 35th-round selection of the Miami Marlins, though he did not sign.
Shelby Thompson
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Softball player Shelby Thompson of Ironwood Ridge High School on May 12, 2020.
"Shelby... took giant steps from a freshman year, when she pitched less than 10 innings, to her senior year when was expecting to pitch in her third straight State Championship game," said softball coach David Martinez. "Shelby worked extremely hard on improving her whole person, from her mental toughness to her physical strength. Shelby is our leader and has been incredible in that role."
Gabrianna Gonzalez
Gabrianna Gonzalez, 18, is a discus thrower on the track and field team at Cholla High School. She plans to attend the University of Arizona in the Fall. May 14, 2020.
Gonzalez is one of Cholla's few three-sport female athletes. She also competed in volleyball and basketball.
Of the three sports, track is her favorite. So much so that she passed up on the opportunity to graduate early in order to make a run at state.
061321-tuc-spt-springstars-p7
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Former Sabino High School standout Sydney Gray played at Nebraska as a true freshman before suffering a knee injury that required surgery. She has been rehabbing daily ever since.
Bryan Cruz
Bryan Cruz joined the Amphitheater High School volleyball team in 2018 after moving back to Tucson from Cucurpe, Sonora.
“First and foremost, he is a true student-athlete,” said Amphi volleyball coach Mike Frederick, who believes Cruz is one of the best volleyball players in the region. “He may be the most underappreciated player in the city. … But to us, he is everything. Not only is he our leader on the court but off the court as well.”
Angel Addleman
Senior basketball and track and field athlete Angel Addleman at Palo Verde High School, 1302 S. Avenida Vega, in Tucson, Ariz. on May 19, 2020. Addleman will play basketball at Pima Community College.
With the track season halted early and Addleman's brief musical career behind her — she spent two years performing in the folk group Copper Wren with her sisters and some friends — Addleman found herself with some time to fill during the quarantine. But unlike some athletes who require specialty equipment or teammates to train, Addleman was able to wing it.
Blaise Biringer
Blaise Biringer, 18, on the softball field at Cienega High School on May 11, 2020. Biringer plans to attend the University of Mississippi on a softball scholarship.
Prior to the shutdown, Biringer was selected to play for the Mexican National team this summer in the inaugural Triple Crown International Challenge. She was also selected by Premier Gold Fastpitch to represent the Mountain Region as an All-American (on a roster that includes fellow Spring Stars Anjolle Aguilar-Beaucage, Sydney Gray, Amya Legarra, Carlie Scupin and Kristiana Watson.)
Cameron Fimbres
Cameron Fimbres, Pueblo High School senior volleyball player, at Silverbell Crossroads Park, on May 15, 2020. Fimbres will be going to McKendree University in southern Illinois.
"My favorite memory of high school would have to be volleyball," Fimbres said. "It's either my escape from stress and stuff or where I could show off to friends, but sophomore year was also very fun. I got to play with my brother before he graduated and it was probably my team's best year."
Gerardo Grijalva
Gerardo Grijalva, 17, plays pitcher and first base for the Sunnyside High School baseball team. He will be returning to Sunnyside in the Fall as a senior.
While Grijalva would love to play college in baseball after he graduates, preferably at University of Arizona or UCLA, he's also focused on his future career as a robotic engineer.
"I heard that robotic engineering has a lot of math in it, and most people don’t like math, but that’s one of my best subjects in school," Grijalva said. "Right now, really don’t have an idea of where I might go, but I for sure know that I really want to play baseball in college at the next level."
