MPSF also postpones 2020 men’s water polo season

The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation has officially followed suit with the Pac-12, suspending the men’s water polo season through at least the end of the 2020 calendar year amid the coronavirus pandemic. They based their decision off that of the Pac-12 as well as the decisions from Penn State Behrend and Austin College, each who compete in the MPSF.

This move affects UCLA, USC, Stanford, Cal as well as the two aforementioned schools who compete in the MPSF men’s water polo.

The NCAA is still deciding on the fate of the fall championships, with a decision coming no later than August 21, and that will ultimately decide how the sport moves forward.

UCLA head coach Adam Wright spoke with UCLA Athletics about the decision.

“This is not a real surprise, it is just a reality. We have been waiting the better part of five months with uncertainty and this brings some closure. This is a tough situation because it is hard for a coach to watch his kids on a computer screen get sadder with the air coming out of them and their happiness. I don’t think any of us thought it would drag on this long, but unfortunately it has. It kills me that it is affecting them. But our top priority is to the student-athletes and their well-being, and we are doing everything possible as a staff to engage with them and make sure they are in a good head space because this is a really tough period of time for them.”

Not surprising, no, but altogether still just saddening as the Bruins absolutely were one of the best men’s water polo teams in the country for 2020-21.