MPSF cancels the 2020 men’s water polo season

The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation has officially followed suit with the Pac-12, suspending the men’s water polo season through at least the end of the 2020 calendar year amid the coronavirus pandemic. They based their decision off that of the Pac-12 as well as the decisions from Penn State Behrend and Austin College, each who compete in the MPSF.

This move affects UCLA, USC, Stanford, Cal as well as the two aforementioned schools who compete in the MPSF men’s water polo.

The NCAA is still deciding on the fate of the fall championships, with a decision coming no later than August 21, and that will ultimately decide how the sport moves forward.

USC head coach Marko Pintaric had this to say:

“We are all disappointed not to have competition ahead this fall, similar to the disappointment we all felt when the women’s season was cut short last spring. We were hoping to play and were looking forward to the season, but we have to think about safety first. It’s always about the athletes and making sure that we do what is best for them, and for our campus and our community. I hope this pandemic gets under control so that we can get into training. It’s important for our student-athletes’ mental health to be able to get in the water and train together. We will fight on, and we are eager for the opportunity to compete for a national championship in the spring.”

Again, this is an unsurprising decision following the Pac-12’s decision to postpone the fall athletic calendar, but another dose of reality served to everyone who is still coming to grips with what their falls will look like.

We will, however, continue to Fight On!