SPORTS
Story package by Carson Racich
Athletes face COVID challenges Canceled leagues, tourneys force LU student athletes to examine career options With the coronavirus pandemic hitting the United States in March, the NCAA made a decision, March 14, to cancel all remaining competition and practices. This included all spring conferences and post season championships. This decision by the NCAA to cancel all athletic activity caught athletes off guard, whether they were in season or not. “The news about the season being canceled was told to us in a sudden team meeting on March 11,” Jorge Gutierrez, a redshirt pitcher on the Lamar baseball team, said. “It came by surprise, but this was much bigger than sports.” Whether the student-athletes were at school, at practice or in the middle of competition, everything came to an abrupt halt. Junior golfer PAGE 24 • WINTER 2020
Alessia Trebbi-Tindall was playing around at the Beaumont Country Club when the news broke. “We were playing in our qualifying round for the HBU tournament — we had no idea that that previous swing was going to be our last for the season,” she said. Following the NCAA’s call, one by one, individual universities quickly sent student athletes home. Gutierrez said the athletes were unaware of how their future was going to be impacted, but understood the decision. “Yeah, this sucks,” he said. “Sports will come at a later time — it’s all about safety.” Lamar University, officially moved classes online on March 23. After six long months, the fall semester and season finally rolled around. It was time for athletes to
Jorge Gutierrez report back to Lamar and get to the fields, courts and courses, although some, like senior baseball pitcher Brennen Smith, were concerned that they would return just to get sent back home. “I was in high hopes to come back
UPbeat
