The Ojai Canceled, NJCAA, NAIA Cancel Spring Sports; Tennis Recruiting Network Provides Cancellation, Rankings Update

As quickly as things are changing all across the country in the wake of the COVID-19 virus pandemic, it's probably safer to start out with the premise that the event is either already canceled or about to be, particularly with the new guidelines suggesting no groups larger than 10 people.

Ojai's Libbey Park

The 120th edition of The Ojai, scheduled for April 22-26, was officially canceled today. The tournament, a mind-boggling array of Southern California tennis competition, was not likely to go on once the NCAA canceled spring sports, with the men's and women's Pac-12 conference tournament one of big draws at the event. The first and only time I went to Ojai (I was planning on returning this year) was in 2017, and although I had heard nothing but great things about it, it still managed to exceed my expectations. The article I wrote about that trip for Tennis Recruiting Network is my valentine to the tournament, and I am now even more determined to return in 2021.

It seems it has been weeks since the NCAA canceled its spring sports, and with that the NCAA Division I tennis Championships in Stillwater Oklahoma, but it was actually only five days ago. The Division II Championships in St. Charles Missouri and the Division III Championships in St. Louis Missouri were also canceled at that time, but the NAIA and the National Junior College Athletic Association did not cancel its spring sports until today. The NAIA National Tennis Championships in Mobile Alabama are now canceled, as are the NJCAA Championships in Tyler Texas. The NAIA's announcement is here; the NJCAA announcement is here.

Tennis Recruiting Network has a comprehensive look at all the cancellations for junior and college tennis in its recap today, while also explaining how they will deal with their weekly rankings. I was familiar with most of what is in this post, but was not aware that National Letters of Intent in Division I and Division II are not to be signed until after April 15th and possibly beyond that.