Ivy Commits Weigh in on Conference’s Fall Sports Cancelation

Photo: NickOstlund50.com

Michael Huntley July 15, 2020 @ 05:00 PM

The Ivy League announced on July 8 that it has ruled out playing all fall sports this upcoming semester due to the coronavirus pandemic. "The campus policies make it impractical for competition to occur, at least through the end of the fall semester," executive director Robin Harris told ESPN. "That’s why today we’re announcing. Eight campuses have announced their policies for the fall over the past two weeks. When we realized and the presidents realized based on these campus policies that we couldn’t have competition, we wanted to make sure the student-athletes were aware of the outcome." Student-athletes will be allowed to practice on campus, in modified form. Two Southern California recruits in the Class of 2021 have already announced their commitments to Ivy League schools. [player_tooltip player_id="25152" first="Scott" last="Giuliano"], a tight end from Corona del Mar High committed to Harvard on April 16 and defensive end [player_tooltip player_id="25180" first="Nick" last="Ostlund"] of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School committed to Penn on July 5. Both athletes said that the Ivy League’s decision has no effect on their commitments to their respective schools. "I can’t imagine how the disappointment must feel for the players currently enrolled in the Ivy’s to have the season canceled," Ostlund said. "I felt shocked at first that they were the first conference to make the decision, but it does not change my commitment status as a student athlete." If high schools follow suit and decide to postpone or cancel fall sports, the athletes in the class of 2021 could be facing a challenge no other athlete has faced before. "I feel that it creates an interesting scenario for the 2021 class in particular," Ostlund said. "If CIF does decide to play in the spring, we could end up finishing a season, then turning right around and starting a new collegiate season within a matter of months." This would give the athletes very little recovery time after a grueling season and leave them virtually no time for offseason training. Both athletes have been in verbal communication with their respective programs and do not intend on taking official visits to other schools when the NCAA allows them to resume. "When allowed, I look forward to getting back out to Harvard to meet more coaches and players," Giuliano said. https://twitter.com/latsondheimer/status/1206026445320884225?s=20 "A week before I committed I got the opportunity to walk around campus with my family and FaceTime the coaches," Ostlund said. "We were not able to go inside the academic or athletic buildings but we still had a great time. I’m hoping to take my official (visit) when able." The athletes are now focused on preparing for their senior seasons. Giuliano is replacing Cal signee Mark Redman for the defending state champion Sea Kings and Ostlund is the first player on his team to verbally commit. "I want to thank Coach O’Shea, Coach Hettig and all of my teammates for supporting me during my recruiting process," Giuliano said. "We will be ready for the season when it comes."  