General March 20, 2020 By Ace Hunt | GoSycamores.com

From The Desk Of Sherard Clinkscales

Greetings Sycamores,

The 2019-20 season has unfortunately come to an abrupt end. The specter of COVID-19 has changed the world as we know it. It has brought a new consciousness in terms of how we live our lives and communicate with each other. It has taken away arguably our most sought after outlet - sport.

In accordance with the NCAA and MVC, our University has made the difficult decision to discontinue all athletic related activities for the remainder of the academic year. This includes all spring sport competition, practices and previously planned alumni weekends for Track and Field/Cross Country, Baseball and Softball. We have also decided to postpone our annual Ladies Tee Golf Outing and Football Golf Scramble until further notice.

Our hearts go out to our student-athletes, especially our seniors. Our student-athletes pour their hearts and souls into competing for this University and the circumstances presented preclude them from making this a reality at the moment. It is of utmost importance to preserve the health and wellbeing of our student-athletes, coaches, fans and entire University Community.

I want to thank so many for your contributions, love and passion for Sycamore Athletics:

- To our student-athletes - especially our seniors, thank you for making us proud. You have had a tremendous year in the classroom and accomplished much success in your sports;

- To our coaches and staff – thank you for your time, effort and devotion towards making this such a special place for our student-athletes to grow and develop as they prepare for life after college;

- To our fans and donors - thank you for always supporting us through good times and our not so good times. Just last week, during our annual Give to Blue Day, you helped us raise nearly $180,000 in 24 hours. This just shows the love and unconditional support you have for our program which motivates us to continue to work hard and make you proud;

- To our sponsors – thank you for the support that you have given to Sycamore Athletics this season. We appreciate all the extra effort you have provided to elevate our game day experiences this year. The game sponsorships, halftime shows, promotional giveaways and free coupons for food would not be possible without your tremendous support of the sponsorship program. We appreciate you entrusting us to market your brand and for your resilience during uncertain times;

- To our University's Leadership – thank you for keeping our campus safe and our institution moving forward while under tremendous pressure.

As Provost Dr. Mike Licari said, this is not the new normal. It is a temporary, if significant, departure from business-as-usual.

As we navigate these uncharted waters, we will work in lock step with President Curtis and the University leadership team in doing what is best for our University Community. We are one United Strong Sycamore Family.

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