College of Idaho moves fall sports to spring 2021; NNU season on hold until Nov. 30
.JPG "The College of Idaho announced Friday that it will move its fall sports schedule to the spring of 2021.")
It’s going to be a very packed calendar for College of Idaho athletics next spring.
The Cascade Collegiate Conference Council of Presidents announced Friday that the NAIA conference plans to delay the start of fall sports with the hopes of conducting seasons in the winter/spring of 2021.
Intercollegiate competition in all Cascade sports has been suspended until at least Nov. 1 and will be reevaluated at that time, according to a press release from the league.
The College of Idaho simultaneously announced Friday that it will shift its fall sports of men’s and women’s soccer, golf, cross county and volleyball to the spring of 2021.
The school is a member of the Frontier Conference in football, but the three Cascade Conference schools that play football — C of I, Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon — also will move those schedules to the spring.
“We have made the difficult decision to transition all of our fall sports,” C of I Athletic Director Reagan Rossi said in a press release. “While we are still working through decisions with the Frontier Conference presidents and the NAIA, we felt it was important for our decision to be unified for all of our fall sports and to communicate as such in a timely manner. We will work with our CCC Commissioner to build our spring schedules and will await more direction from the Frontier Conference and the NAIA before determining a football schedule.
“We value our partnership with the Frontier Conference and are hopeful their presidents and members understand our decision.”
C of I said its fall sports participants still will be able to practice this year.
“The ongoing issues with COVID-19 and the surge in cases, particularly in the geographical regions of our members schools, has made the prospect of properly conducting a fall season with the confidence we need to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes during this pandemic unrealistic,” CCC Commissioner Robert Cashell said in a press release.
Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston also competes in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.
GNAC suspends fall season
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced Friday afternoon that it has suspended all athletic competition until Nov. 30 and will make a decision by Oct. 15 about the status of the rest of the season.
Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa competes in the GNAC, and athletic director Kelli Lindley wrote a letter to athletes about the decision, according to a press release from the conference.
“As a former student-athlete and coach, I am fully aware of the exceptional amount of work, sacrifice and energy student-athletes have invested in their sport to enable them to compete at the NCAA level,” Lindley wrote. “I know you have dreamed about stepping on the playing field and representing NNU in competition and there are many of us that can’t wait to cheer you on from the sidelines. Please know you are not alone as you deal with the pain and loss of an uncertain athletic future.”
NNU fields five teams that compete for championships in the fall: men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, and men’s and women’s cross country. Men’s and women’s golf, baseball and softball all compete in the fall, but the results don’t count toward conference championships.
“We are sad to learn that the GNAC has suspended fall sports,” NNU volleyball coach Doug English said in Friday’s release. “Sad because of the loss of normalcy and the inability to participate in an activity that brings us joy. The GNAC continues to lead by example by putting the safety of student-athletes first, and I am thankful to participate in this conference.”
According to an NNU spokesperson, Friday’s decision also will affect the men’s and women’s basketball teams, which can begin practice on Oct. 15 and have played several exhibition games in November in past years. Last season, the men’s team traveled to Wyoming in October and had eight regular-season games under its belt by Nov. 30.
GNAC Commissioner Dave Haglund said in the release that the conference has had meaningful discussions about an altered fall season, including moving it to spring 2021.
NNU inks local product
Ryzin “Biggie” Bergersen, a 2019 Borah High graduate, recently signed with the Northwest Nazarene’s men’s basketball team.
The 6-foot-4, 160-pound guard spent last season at Link Year Prep in Branson, Missouri, where he averaged 16 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals per game.
“Biggie had an extremely successful high school career and has continued to develop and mature,” NNU coach Paul Rush said in a press release. “His ceiling is very high and as he continues to develop, he’ll have the opportunity to become a fan favorite at NNU.
Bergersen was a part of Borah’s 2019 5A state championship team. His father, Roberto Bergersen, played at Boise State and was later a second-round NBA Draft pick. Older brother Rylan Bergersen started his collegiate career at BYU and later transferred to Central Arkansas.
Idaho’s home football opener canceled
The University of Idaho football team has already lost two games from its 2020 schedule.
The Vandals’ Sept. 19 game against Washington State in Pullman, Washington, was canceled earlier this month when the Pac-12 announced it was moving to a conference-only schedule for 2020. Idaho was set to receive $550,000 for playing the game against the Cougars.
Then on Friday, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced it was suspending all athletic competition through Nov. 30. That effectively canceled the Vandals’ home opener Sept. 5 against Western Oregon.
The university said alternatives for both games are being discussed.
This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 1:49 PM.
