Greg Miller, Staff Writer

With the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases, all sports teams are taking a hit. According to the October 3 Augsburg COVID-19 Dashboard metrics, 18 students tested positive from Sept. 20 to Oct. 3. Due to this increase, all winter sports’ start dates have been pushed back one week. 

As of now, Augsburg is at a moderate transmission level, but if that increases to the high transmission range, we may start to see more changes around campus. 

All athletes were given the news a month back about the postponement of all competition until Jan. 2021 by the MIAC Office, so this announcement keeps adding to the delays and postponements that these teams are facing with the potential of more looming. Due to the one week delay, all teams have been forced to only work up to Phase 2 of the implemented system. 

Phase 2 in the pod system involves being able to only practice in groups of 10 or less. The reasoning for this is to limit the potential spread, as only the other people in the pod would have to quarantine given a positive case as opposed to everyone on the team if teams were allowed to fully practice together. 

With more limited practice conditions and competitions being pushed back it’s getting more and more important for Auggie student-athletes to stay positive and be prepared to return to play. In an interview with the Echo, sophomore Burke Nesbit, a member of men’s basketball, talked about what his team can do to stay ready during this uncertain time stating, “All you can do to stay ready is to continue to play hard and remain focused. It’s easy to slack off in a time like this, but myself and the other guys are staying hungry to build off our success last year.” 

Many Auggie athletes are looking at the bright side of these delays and postponements, using the additional time off to get better and come out ready to compete once athletic competitions are back on.