Purdue Northwest Keeping Eye on Fall Sports

Purdue Northwest Athletic Director Rick Costello (photo courtesy of Mike Clark

Purdue University Northwest has canceled two of the biggest annual events on its sports calendar as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Our partners at The Times of Northwest Indiana report certain fall sports could be canceled as well, though official decisions have not been made.

The university has canceled two major fall events: the Pride’s Fall Festival in September and Late Night Madness in October. The Fall Festival showcased a variety of PNW teams with home events on the same day, and Late Night Madness was the unofficial kickoff for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

For the fall sports schedule, PNW Athletic Director Rick Costello tells the publication, “Right now, nothing is on.” Costello says the university’s ultimate plan of action will come in a couple weeks pending decisions from the presidents of each school in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The conference announced Monday that schools would play a conference-only schedule for the fall, if events are held at all. According to the league, decisions to play will be made on a sport-by-sport basis.

Fall sports sponsored by the GLIAC include football, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country and women’s tennis as fall sports. PNW has teams in all the sponsored fall sports except football.

PNW begins classes August 24.