BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Commissioner Dan Sharadin released the following update:
“Over the past several days we have seen unprecedented developments surrounding the Coronavirus outbreak that affect our conference. With some institutions sending students home for the semester, others for a period of time, and still some maintaining their attendance on site, there is no single view on how to manage the situation. Likewise, what is decided today may change tomorrow.
Since its inception the CWPA has a governance structure that is responsive in nature, meaning our staff implements decisions made by the membership as opposed to dictating to our members what should be done. Consequently, actions taken since the outbreak occurred and everything we do moving forward will be the result of the decisions made by our member schools.
We recognize the disappointment involved with canceling a season and yet we also understand the requirement to keep everyone safe. As a conference, we rely on the experts to make the necessary decisions and the fact that our membership is consulting with these individuals as they come to their own conclusions.
As of today, all our varsity competition has been canceled based on the decisions made by the NCAA and the schools involved. The remainder of our collegiate club competition is almost completely canceled, although there is still a possibility the Division I National Championship could take place. Most divisions have had enough competition where you could reasonably crown a champion, which would allow a competitive field to be identified. Additionally, the tournament is not scheduled until mid-May and some restrictions may be lifted by that time.
For those divisions that have had competition, we will do our best to help you identify an all-conference selection process that makes sense, in addition to determining a champion and runner-up whenever possible. More information about this process will be available in the next few weeks.
We understand the situation is still extremely fluid and there is no way of anticipating what will take place as the days unfold. To that end will try to keep you updated as new information is available.”
