Mustang Athletics Prioritizes Health of Student Athletes, Abides by Governor’s Request To Postpone

Silver City, NM – Western New Mexico University Mustang Athletics will postpone the football and volleyball seasons until the spring semester. “We have an obligation to our university, community and the state of New Mexico to do our part in keeping everyone safe during these unprecedented times,” said Director of Mustang Athletics Scott Noble. “It is certainly one of the toughest decisions we have had to make, and I truly believe it is the right one.”

Cross country and other Mustang sports remain on schedule.

The governor of New Mexico asked the WNMU Board of Regents and WNMU President Dr. Joseph Shepard to postpone the start of high-risk contact sports until spring. Per her recommendation and considering the rise in positive cases statewide, the Mustang Athletic Department determined that delaying the start of these two sports is in the best interest of staff and student-athletes.

Of the 23 NCAA DII conferences, 11 have also moved high-contact sports — and, in some cases, all fall sports — to the spring semester.

While the Lone Star Conference, to which the WNMU Mustangs belong, has delayed the start of all fall sports until September 21 and mandated conference play only, the conference as a whole has not postponed contact sports to spring.

Decisions on winter and current spring sports have not been determined, but conversations within the Lone Star Conference and the NCAA are ongoing.

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For 125 years, Western New Mexico University has served the people in its region as a comprehensive, rural, public body. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution and the state’s only public Applied Liberal Arts and Sciences university, WNMU is committed to developing cross-cultural opportunities that encourage people to explore new experiences. The WNMU student body represents every segment of southwest New Mexico’s diverse population.