Sow, Fabian Among the 2021 Big West Conference Scholar-Athlete Honorees
Posted: Mar 03, 2021
To watch the show on ESPN3, click here.
The Big West Conference today announced that 22 individuals were named 2020 Big West Scholar Athletes of the Year. The conference honored two student-athletes from each institution – including UC Santa Barbara softball player Samantha Fabian and men s basketball player Amadou Sow – acknowledging their accomplishments on the field, in the classroom and in their communities. On Wednesday, these exemplary scholar athletes will be featured in the Big West Academic honors, a half hour show on ESPN3, which will highlight the exploits of both current and former student-athletes who push the boundaries of being a Scholar Athlete.
The Big West Conference will hold its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments without spectators, including family and guests of the teams.
The tournaments will be played March 9-13 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, where they were moved from their usual home in Anaheim, California.
The Big West’s board of directors decided to start the season without fans in attendance. League Commissioner Dan Butterly says the latest decision to keep fans away from the tournaments is a way to protect the teams in their chase for the league’s automatic bids to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments.
The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world: The Big West Conference will hold its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments without spectators, including family and guests of the teams. The tournaments will be played March 9-13 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, where they were moved from their usual home in Anaheim, California.
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On Jan. 29, the Big West Conference announced in an official press release that 2021 gameplay would return for the sports of baseball, softball, men’s volleyball and women’s water polo. These news come at an opportune time for UC Riverside, who is transitioning into a change of leadership with new Interim Athletic Director Wes Mallette and is still discussing whether formal athletics will remain at the university.
The Big West is making this step forward with their focus still remaining on the “health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes and we will continue to evaluate the pandemic’s effect on our ability to provide a safe environment for competition,” said Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly. As such, the schedule format has changed, contests have been limited and all institutions will continue to adhere to health guidelines and COVID-19 testing protocols. In an email interview with The Highlander, Mallette stated that
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The Big West Conference officially announced on Friday afternoon it approved return to play and scheduling protocols for men’s volleyball.
Before today’s announcement, there was uncertainty about spring sports in the Big West for the 2020-21 school year, as the conference in December announced the cancellation of fall sports slated to make-up their seasons in the spring.
“The Big West is excited to take the next step toward spring competition,” Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly said in a statement. “Our focus remains on the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes and we will continue to evaluate the pandemic’s effect on our ability to provide a safe environment for competition. These schedule formats reflect the changes our Big West administrators, coaches and staff felt were necessary in the face of unprecedented challenges. I applaud their efforts to find solutions that move the Big West forward.”