Delayed But Not Denied: Nipissing Will Host Baggataway Cup in 2021

It will be a year later than they had planned, but the Nipissing Lakers are still excited to play host to bring the Baggataway Cup to North Bay in 2021.

With the 2020 fall season being cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the university's plans for hosting this fall were also swept away. On the league conference call during which the difficult decision had to be taken to cancel the fall season, though, the league confirmed that Nipissing's hosting rights for this year would be carried over to next fall. 

The Lakers' program has been on the upswing and they don't plan to let this blip derail them. 

"Our athletes and school were disappointed when our season was canceled for 2020, but understand it is for the better of all,” said Nipissing head coach Jason Rudge. “Our athletes and coaching staff will continue to work hard over the extended offseason to be ready again in 2021 to welcome CUFLA to North Bay as we host the Baggataway Cup. We will have another top level 2021 recruiting class on campus and our 2020 recruits and current team will be more hungry to prove that we are one of the top programs in CUFLA."

Of course, hosting an event like the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association championship takes commitment from more than just the lacrosse team and coaching staff. The school's administration needs to buy in. Nipissing clearly gets the significance of the Baggataway Cup, as evidenced by the statement from Athletic Director Vito Castiglione.

"We are extremely disappointed that we have had to cancel the 2020 Baggataway Cup, however the health and safety of the student athletes, the coaches and all the stakeholders involved with CUFLA is the league's highest priority,” Castiglione told CUFLA.ca. “This event is a very important part of the amateur sport fabric in Canada. We are thrilled to be hosting our very first Baggataway Cup in 2021 and we are delighted to host six university lacrosse teams from across Ontario and Quebec on our campus in North Bay."

CUFLA is still entertaining the possibility of having some kind of season in the winter/spring. The league continues to monitor developments with the pandemic and reopening scenarios and will announce any plans as they are established.