It is increasingly unlikely that area high school track and field athletes will compete at the 2020 Outdoor Nationals.
The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation (NSAF) rescheduled the already rescheduled championship meet and moved it to the Midwest, the organization announced Thursday.
The meet, formerly known as New Balance Nationals Outdoor, had been moved to July 16-19 at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. With the campus closed through August, the meet needed a new venue and on Thursday, the NSAF rescheduled the meet for July 30-Aug. 2 at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NSAF board of directors has a June 15 deadline to make a final decision on whether to proceed with or cancel the championship.
”We continue to be cautiously optimistic we can host the meet on the new scheduled dates and wish everyone good health and safety in the meantime,” the NSAF said in a statement.
The final decision will be made based on three factors, the organization said:
■Compliance with USATF sanctions and guidelines, which are intended to ensure the maximum safety and well-being of athletes, officials and spectators.
■The advice and recommendations from the NSAF medical director, based on consultation with various government and private infectious disease experts, including those at the CDC.
■The ability of Sioux Falls to implement protocols required to ensure the health and safety of athletes, coaches, officials and spectators.
Times and distances from the 2019 outdoor season, as well as the 2019-2020 indoor season, will be used as qualifying standards.
Amherst Regional, Northampton and South Hadley have several athletes who are eligible to compete in the nationals.
Amherst: Isabela Shepard, Juliana Shepard, Danielle Beason and Anajisa Robinson from the girls team; Junior Pontes da Veiga from the boys team.
“I don’t know if anyone looked into it,” Amherst coach David Thompson said. “The fact it would have to be independent without the school’s helping, I don’t know if any of these kids would try to do or want to do it, especially since they haven’t trained lately.”
Northampton: Tobias L’Esperance, Benjamin Howe, Simon LaClair and Tim Jacques from the boys team.
“I don’t know how comfortable the kids will be with it,” Northampton coach Brandon Palmer said.
South Hadley: Lindsay Marjanski, Maddie Doolittle, Farrell Dawson and Anna Evans from the girls team; Jonas Clarke, Justin Kennedy, Bradyn Cote and James Couture from the boys team.
“I will be incredible surprised if we make any move to go out there,” South Hadley coach Nick Davis said. “That’s a long drive and airports are a mess. But again, we haven’t had any conversations with families and athletes.”
New Balance announced in early May it will end its sponsorship deal with the NSAF and will create its own national championships beginning in 2021.
“Our priority has been and will continue to be to provide a first-class event that offers the opportunity for high school students to compete against the best in the country,” Tom Carleo, the vice president of performance running at New Balance, said in a statement. “We are excited to continue to bring the energy and competition the New Balance High School Nationals is known for and are committed to providing a seamless transition for the high school athletes.”
New Balance will hold the 2021 indoor championship at the New Balance Track and Field Center in New York on March 12-14. The 2022 indoor championship will be held at The TRACK at new balance (sic), the state-of-the-art facility that is set to open across from the New Balance headquarters in Boston.
Details for the 2021 New Balance outdoor meet and future outdoor championships have not been determined.
With the split from New Balance, the NSAF is looking for a title sponsor for its championships.
“These are very challenging times for a lot of companies and organizations,” NSAF Executive Director Jim Spier said in a statement. “We appreciate the 10-year relationship we had with New Balance. We are thankful for what they have brought to our events. But after each such transition we’ve taken our meets to new heights and we fully intend to keep growing and serving high school track and field athletes.”
Mike Moran can be reached at mmoran@gazettenet.com. Follow on Twitter @mikemoranDHG.