Dear Coyote Fans,
 
We are at the point in every summer where we begin to look forward with anticipation of the fall semester. This year is no different, though the planning and preparation by our student-athletes, coaches and staff have been and continue to be very different from previous summers. We would like to update Coyote Nation on what we have accomplished over the summer as well as our plans for continuing to welcome student-athletes back to campus.
 
Beginning June 8, we welcomed back a small group of a dozen student-athletes that participated in strength and conditioning activities and helped us work through our COVID-19 mitigation procedures. On June 15, a larger group of student-athletes, made up predominately of football, women's basketball and men's basketball players, returned to campus. After a successful month, we were able to extend the invitation to our fall teams including cross country, triathlon, soccer and volleyball to be integrated into our voluntary summer strength and conditioning workouts. By the end of July, we will also have our freshmen football and basketball student-athletes on campus preparing for their upcoming seasons.
 
We purposely staggered the return of student-athletes in an effort to avoid overcrowding the weight room and overly taxing department staff while ensuring our ability to provide a safe environment for training. We are proud of the way our student-athletes have responded to their current training environment and personal responsibilities. Their efforts to follow our procedures have allowed us to keep facilities open. A special thank you is owed to the athletic training and strength and conditioning staffs which are on the front lines of interaction with our student-athletes and working to protect their health and well-being.
 
Our department continues to work in conjunction and under the guidance of the University, Board of Regents, NCAA, Summit League and the Missouri Valley Football Conference on preparations for the fall and beyond. All mitigation measures are being carefully considered for our athletic venues. The potential impact on our financial position is real as we have already been through several rounds of budget restructuring. Our decisions will not be based on dollars and cents, but rather the safety and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, campus community and fans. More details on those measures will be available as the season draws near. While we cannot eliminate all risk associated with athletic competition, we are making every effort to provide as safe an environment as possible while allowing each attendee to determine if they are comfortable attending our events.
 
Thank you for all of your support and understanding. We hope that you stay healthy and enjoy the summer. We look forward to the fall semester and welcoming back our Coyote family in a safe and responsible manner. Go Yotes!

David Herbster