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M State spring sports called off in response to pandemic

By Press Release/Peg Kalar, 03/17/20, 12:30PM CDT

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All M State Spartan spring sports have been cancelled following the NJCAA’s announcement Monday that it was ending competition for the remainder of the academic year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

M State Athletic Director Jason Retzlaff said the decision affects baseball, softball and golf, where the Spartan golfers had been scheduled to compete in June in the Division III National Championship for the ninth consecutive year.

“This is a sad day for Spartan athletics,” Retzlaff said. “We feel for our wonderful student athletes who have worked so hard to prepare for their seasons and won’t get the opportunity to compete. We appreciate their dedication and look forward to helping them move forward with their athletic plans, whether it is returning to M State for 2020-21 or taking the next step to a four-year college.”

The NJCAA’s suspension of athletic events includes all practices, regular season, post-season and national championship play. All face-to-face recruiting for sports is also halted until April 15.

M State has cancelled its planned April 1 Spartan Sports Showcase for area high school athletes, and the Spartan Athletic Banquet set for April 27 has been cancelled.

As a member of the Minnesota State system, M State serves more than 8,000 students in credit courses each year in more than 80 career and liberal arts programs online and at its campuses in Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, Moorhead and Wadena. By partnering with communities, the college also provides workforce development services and other responsive training programs.