NWAC to resume sports in March without championship tournaments

The good news for Community Colleges of Spokane and North Idaho College athletics: Competition begins in March.

The bad news: There will be no championship tournaments for any of their postponed fall, winter and spring sports programs.

The Northwest Athletic Conference – the governing body of junior college athletics in Washington, Oregon and North Idaho – announced this week it won’t sanction championship tournaments in the 2020-21 academic year due to coronavirus concerns.

The NWAC, comprised of four regions, will have teams primarily playing a regional schedule. CCS and NIC are part of the NWAC East Region with Walla Walla, Wenatchee Valley, Big Bend, Blue Mountain, Columbia Basin and Treasure Valley community colleges.

NWAC sports have been shut down since March and all but one sports - cross country, which begins in February - will resume March 1.

“The executive board believes the decision is beneficial to our student-athletes by keeping them engaged, academically and physically,” NWAC executive director Marco Azurdia said. “There is no perfect answer to this difficult and challenging situation we face. But as a conference, we wish to support the total development of our student-athletes.”

NIC’s wrestling program is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

The Cardinals are slated to open their season at the Apodaca Duals at Western Wyoming Community College in January.