MALIBU — The Pepperdine men’s water polo team, the Pepperdine Waves, has had their 2020 season canceled, as announced by the Golden Coast Conference (GCC) on July 31.
The GCC announced that 2020 season would be postponed until January of 2021, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the cause for the cancelation.
Commissioner Mike Daniels said, “The pandemic has had a major impact in the state of California over the last few weeks which has forced us to make some tough decisions in collegiate athletics… We are hopeful this will enable us to have a full season come January.”
The decision to postpone the season does not prohibit teams from practicing or training, as long as state and local guidelines permit.
“COVID-19 has challenged each of us in ways we could never have imagined, and we are proud that our student-athletes and coaches are handling this difficult time with resiliency and determination. We are hopeful that creative thinking and science will emerge to mitigate and reduce risk to allow competition in spring 2021. The GCC Executive Committee will continue to monitor trends and discuss possible competitive scenarios as we move forward.” Said GCC Men’s Water Polo Executive Committee Chair Andy Fee.
Once the NCAA solidifies a plan for the national championship, a revised schedule will be released.
“While this decision was extremely difficult and will be incredibly challenging for our student-athletes, coaches and administrators, the GCC Men’s Water Polo Executive Committee focused on the importance of the safety, health and well-being of our campus communities” said Fee.
The Pepperdine Waves are the reigning champions of the Gold Coast Conference.
