Delayed flights, missed meals and little sleep: How college teams adjusted to cross-country travel

IF THERE WERE ever a infinitesimal erstwhile Oregon State shot manager Mitch Canham would person had crushed to second-guess his determination for the Beavers to play an autarkic docket successful the aftermath of the Pac-12's collapse, it mightiness person been successful the aboriginal hours of March 31.

Oregon State had conscionable completed a three-game bid astatine Nebraska and was waiting retired a four-hour hold successful the Denver airport. The squad inactive had a two-and-a-half-hour formation to go, and it would instrumentality astatine slightest different 2 hours aft that to get connected the autobus successful Portland and thrust location to Corvallis, conscionable arsenic the remainder of the municipality would beryllium starting their day.

It started ordinarily enough, but this Sunday rapidly devolved into a drama of errors.

There was a modular meal earlier the noon game, which had a three-hour model to beryllium played earlier the squad needed to permission for the Lincoln airdrome to drawback its flight. Things started to spell disconnected the rails successful the bottommost of the seventh inning. That's erstwhile OSU gave up 9 runs earlier different successful the eighth to suffer 16-7, aft which it recovered retired a fashionable section barbecue associated had cancelled the team's postgame meal.

The Beavers didn't person capable clip to marque different nutrient arrangements -- oregon ablution -- earlier they needed to beryllium astatine the airport, truthful they took their chances astatine uncovering nutrient astatine the terminal. There turned retired to beryllium lone 1 option, a sandwich spot, but arsenic the Beavers arrived, the place's lone 2 workers got into a large argument.

"We're trying to get a sandwich close earlier we get connected the plane, due to the fact that we haven't eaten and they conscionable commencement going astatine each other," Canham said. "One feline is like, 'I quit.' And we say, "No, not yet, man. How astir we get 30 sandwiches existent speedy and past you quit?'"

The plea didn't work, leaving this progressively bare assemblage shot squad without a repast for different mates hours earlier the members would person a accidental to drawback nutrient during their layover successful Denver. And erstwhile they were delayed, it felt similar the squad was surviving an elaborate prank.

"We look astatine each other, we laughter and alright, what's next?" Canham said. "How bash we marque the champion of this?"

If determination was immoderate consolation for Canham arsenic helium tried to get immoderate slumber successful the airdrome that night, it came erstwhile helium recovered retired respective of his players crossed paths successful the terminal with the Cal shot team. Their erstwhile Pac-12 rival -- present playing successful the ACC -- was connected its mode backmost from Louisville, and its formation wasn't going to permission until 6 a.m.

These are nary longer conscionable isolated inconveniences, they're the caller normal.

Oregon State's agelong trek location was much than conscionable a unsmooth question day, it was a glimpse of the logistical challenges galore programs present face. For Oregon State, Cal, UCLA and different West Coast teams, this twelvemonth of realignment has brought a changeless grind to stay astatine the highest levels of assemblage athletics.

WHEN THE DUST settled connected the latest circular of assemblage sports realignment, fewer schools bore arsenic overmuch work arsenic UCLA. Along with crosstown rival USC, the Bruins were a main operator successful breaking up the Pac-12 erstwhile they opted to permission for the Big Ten.

For football, the concern was different. The question mostly involves shorter trips than astir nonrevenue sports, and schools typically charter flights for football, which limits galore of the headaches that travel with commercialized travel. Most of the trips align with play crippled schedules, truthful there's little interference with academics, making the full proposition much manageable.

But what would it mean for nonrevenue sports specified arsenic women's soccer?

"My archetypal absorption was evidently a spot of surprise," said UCLA women's shot manager Margueritte Aozasa, who led the Bruins to the 2022 nationalist rubric successful her archetypal twelvemonth arsenic coach. "I was connected a recruiting telephone erstwhile the quality dropped, and I was like, 'Oh.' But astatine the aforesaid time, I was pleased due to the fact that the Big Ten is well-positioned successful the aboriginal of collegiate sports."

Aozasa and her unit soon realized that portion the fig of trips connected UCLA's 2024 docket didn't alteration overmuch from the Pac-12 days, the cross-country flights added important fatigue.

"The biggest accommodation we'll marque going guardant is investing much successful recovery," Aozasa said. "Our squad really performed truly good connected the road, but it was the games the adjacent week, erstwhile we had to travel backmost aft making that longer question trip, that we noticed it."

To way that toll, UCLA relied connected GPS wearables and readiness surveys, which showed higher levels of fatigue and soreness than usual. The information helped corroborate what coaches had anticipated, that determination would request to beryllium antithetic betterment processes than erstwhile astir of the games were confined to the West Coast.

Some early-season injuries besides added to the strain. Players logged much minutes than expected, and the cumulative deterioration of flights, hotels and unfamiliar fields lone added to the challenge.

"It wasn't conscionable the travel," Aozasa said. "We were precise shorthanded aboriginal on, truthful that agelong of games -- Kentucky, Tennessee, past 2 back-to-back Big Ten trips -- it truly tested us."

The interaction was felt astir acutely during the Big Ten league tournament, which was already a caller conception arsenic the Pac-12 didn't person a postseason league tournament. UCLA won the tournament, but doing truthful meant the Bruins had to play 3 games successful six days -- including a snowfall hold successful Minnesota -- arsenic a precursor to the NCAA tournament.

"We decidedly felt it," Aozasa said. "Playing 3 games successful six days distant and past coming backmost was not easy. It's thing we, arsenic a staff, person to set to."

UCLA received a No. 2 effect successful the tournament, but was eliminated successful the 2nd round.

Aozasa expects that with clip the benignant of issues they dealt with for the archetypal clip this play won't consciousness similar issues astatine all, and they'll conscionable beryllium portion of beingness successful big-time assemblage athletics. The squad volition beryllium capable to larn from the experiences each play and use those lessons down the road.

"Last twelvemonth was astir apt the lone clip we'll person to program a nonconference docket earlier we had the league dates," Aozasa said. "This year, we're backmost connected track. We person our location and distant opponents and the dates set, truthful we tin program much thoughtfully."

One of the main topics for interest arsenic realignment dispersed West Coast teams crossed the state was the imaginable interaction connected academics. And portion that remains apical of caput for galore coaches, Aozasa said the accommodation was easier than she expected.

For a athletics similar women's soccer, the fig of missed classes didn't truly change. Yes, their flights were longer, but the fig of question days was similar.

"If we were having this speech 7 oregon 8 years ago, it would beryllium a antithetic story," she said. "But now, with however utilized to distant learning everyone is, our players didn't person to marque immoderate large adjustments connected the world side."

There was besides the payment of being exposed to caller places.

"We had players who had ne'er been to the Midwest," Aozasa said. "They got to spot assemblage towns for the archetypal time, acquisition a pumpkin spot that wasn't successful a parking lot. The girls loved it."

For each the speech of challenges, Aozasa said she was arrogant of however her squad adapted.

"We person to beryllium adaptable," Aozasa said. "We person to beryllium advocates for the wellness and wellbeing of our players, but we besides person to beryllium adaptable. That's the lone mode guardant successful assemblage sports today."

Aozasa's affirmative outlook connected competing successful the Big Ten wasn't a stance shared connected field by men's hoops manager Mick Cronin, who astatine assorted points this past play expressed vexation with UCLA's caller beingness connected the road.

Following a location triumph against Iowa successful January, Cronin was asked astir what benignant of interaction the question to the West Coast mightiness person had connected Iowa.

"Wear and teardrop connected them? Is that a joke? Please archer maine that's a joke," Cronin said. "We person to spell backmost [East] 4 times. Oh, the Big Ten teams get to travel to Los Angeles wherever it's 70 degrees 1 clip a year. They don't adjacent person to power hotels. [UCLA and USC] are 12 miles apart, are you kidding me? Please archer maine you're kidding me."

Cronin's rant went on.

"We've seen the Statue of Liberty doubly successful the past 3 weeks portion we were landing. We besides saw the Capitol Building," Cronin said. "And we've inactive got to spell back, and past we've got to spell backmost for the Big Ten tournament. They bash it 1 time."

By the clip UCLA's play was over, the Bruins took 12 trips extracurricular of Los Angeles, traversing the state to the tune of astir 35,240 miles successful the air. After flying astir 21,000 miles the twelvemonth before, it was an summation of astir 66%.

Still, UCLA finished tied for 4th successful the Big Ten during the regular play and earned a No. 7 effect successful the NCAA tournament. After winning their first-round crippled against Utah State 72-46, the Bruins bowed retired successful the 2nd circular with a 67-58 nonaccomplishment to second-seeded Tennessee.

With the nonaccomplishment marking the extremity to a long, often frustrating season, Cronin delivered different memorable circular of question critiques successful the postgame quality conference.

"Right present guys, it's 12:40 a.m. and our play conscionable ended," helium said. "Right present my biggest interest is however atrocious the seats are connected [our Allegiant Air] flight, connected that unspeakable level we're going to person to alert location tomorrow."

Cronin's unfiltered disapproval made it wide helium felt similar UCLA was astatine a competitory disadvantage with the magnitude of question his squad had to bash wrong the Big Ten compared to the conference's longtime members.

While it should beryllium casual to recognize his point, and it is hard to reason against it, Cronin isn't precisely a sympathetic figure, for a mates reasons. The astir evident is that UCLA brought this upon itself. While Cronin mightiness not person been consulted connected the determination to permission to the Pac-12 and is successful nary mode liable for the move, the assemblage was not forced into this caller mean like, for example, Oregon State was. UCLA determined the accrued media gross from being successful the Big Ten was worthy sacrificing successful different ways.

Then, of course, determination is the occurrence of the women's hoops programs astatine UCLA and USC, which dealt with the aforesaid benignant of question challenges and inactive managed to spell a combined 65-7 during the regular play and earned No. 1 seeds, earlier they were some eliminated by eventual champion UConn. The question mightiness marque winning much difficult, but aft 1 play it's intolerable to accidental with immoderate assurance to what grade it makes a difference.

In 2024, the UCLA softball squad played 2 games extracurricular the Pacific Time Zone during the regular play -- some successful an early-season invitational tourney successful Florida -- earlier the NCAA tourney and its eventual travel to the Women's College World Series successful Oklahoma.

This year, that fig jumped to 14, including a six-game roadworthy travel that included games successful Iowa, Washington D.C. and Maryland. But the results were similar. UCLA hosted successful the archetypal circular and took 2 of 3 past week successful a ace determination astatine South Carolina to instrumentality to the Women's College World Series. If determination was a competitory disadvantage that came from much clip connected the road, it was minimal.

AFTER MOST OF the Pac-12 fled for harmless haven successful the Big Ten, Big 12 and, finally, the ACC, Oregon State -- on with Washington State -- mislaid the proverbial crippled of philharmonic chairs.

It near Canham weighing the aboriginal of Oregon State baseball. Realignment did not permission the Beavers with galore viable options to support their spot arsenic an elite assemblage shot destination.

"I looked astatine the possibilities and conscionable didn't spot thing that lined up," Canham said. "A batch of the options were conferences that typically get 1 bid into the postseason. And that's not the level we privation for our programme oregon our players. We privation to play the best."

Washington State sent its shot squad to the Mountain West arsenic an affiliate member, but that wasn't an appealing destination for the Beavers. So, aft seeking retired the viability of affiliate rank elsewhere, Oregon State made a bold decision: it went independent. The Beavers are the lone autarkic assemblage shot squad this season, and they'll beryllium autarkic again successful 2026.

The prime came with a dense dose of uncertainty and an adjacent heavier question burden. Without a league to trust connected for a bulk of the scheduling, Canham spent hours connected the phone, calling astir to portion unneurotic a afloat slate of games.

"I needed an accidental to effort to capable retired a docket and spot if we could marque this work," helium said. "I was going to telephone and inquire for that crippled to capable a implicit schedule."

While Oregon State's ballpark, Goss Stadium, offered a premier setting, getting different teams to sojourn -- particularly precocious successful the play during league play -- was difficult. Many preferred to support their bye weeks astatine home, leaving Oregon State with small leverage to bring opponents to Corvallis.

"I assumed that everyone would privation to travel present and play due to the fact that of the history, the ambience, conscionable the quality of the ballpark," Canham said. "But for Year 1, that was not needfully successful the cards for galore schools."

The Beavers alternatively faced an exhausting docket of distant games, spending countless hours successful airports, buses and edifice rooms. Of their 54 games this season, lone 19 were astatine home.

It was the benignant of play that tested everything: slumber schedules, nutrition, recovery. It wasn't antithetic for the squad to signifier connected the roadworthy arsenic precocious arsenic 9 p.m. connected a Thursday aft a afloat time of travel.

Earlier this month, the squad met astatine its installation to drawback a 4 a.m. autobus to get to Portland for a formation to Iowa. But the autobus ne'er showed up, leaving coaches to battalion players and bags into their ain cars.

"I go, 'There's nary bus,'" Canham said. "So I said, 'All right, everybody, coaches get your cars.' We loaded up each the guys and drove them to the airdrome ourselves."

But if immoderate programme was equipped for adversity, it was Oregon State. With 3 nationalist championships successful 2006, 2007 and 2018, the Beavers person agelong been a powerhouse successful assemblage baseball. Under erstwhile manager Pat Casey, Oregon State became 1 of the astir respected programs successful the country.

That contented has carried connected nether Canham, a erstwhile Oregon State catcher who played connected the 2006 and 2007 title-winning teams. He has seen firsthand what it takes to win connected the nationalist stage, and helium is doing everything wrong his powerfulness to support that legacy.

"This is simply a programme that's built connected toughness and resilience," helium said. "We've played successful immoderate of the biggest games successful assemblage shot history, and we're going to support pushing to beryllium successful that speech each year."

Despite the chaos of this autarkic season, the Beavers refused to presumption it arsenic a burden.

"None of these are complaints," Canham said. "These are each blessings, however we take to look astatine this. Because if we're trying to prep these guys for going connected and playing successful the nonrecreational ranks, they're going to beryllium doing a batch of that changeless question connected the road."

In Cal's archetypal shot play successful the ACC, manager Mike Neu besides had to reimagine his strategy to scheduling. The Bears would person to transverse the state for immoderate league distant games but against Bay Area-rival Stanford, truthful Neu wanted to bounds the question aboriginal on.

"Once I recovered everything out, the extremity was, 'Let's play much astatine location knowing we're going to question a small spot more, and let's permission a time earlier,'" helium said.

His absorption was connected cutting down connected question days, reshuffling midweek games and ensuring his players had capable clip to retrieve and set to antithetic environments. Cal had been scheduled to play successful a tourney successful Texas, but Neu backed retired of that and replaced it with section games.

In the past, Cal had ever near connected Thursday for roadworthy trips successful the Pac-12, but that changed this year. For trips backmost East, the squad would permission connected Wednesday. The alteration came for a mates reasons, but mostly stems from an acquisition Cal had traveling to Pittsburgh successful 2023. For that trip, Cal's nonstop Thursday formation to Pennsylvania was canceled. The squad ended up having to link and got successful precise precocious that night, without the accidental to signifier and get acclimated.

"That's 1 of those factors that astir apt made the determination easier to permission connected Wednesday due to the fact that if that happens connected Wednesday, OK, we're going to beryllium fine," Neu said.

After playing mostly section games to commencement the season, Neu said he'll apt replicate the program adjacent year, and helium is assured the squad could really grip different out-of-town tourney astatine the commencement of the play oregon different roadworthy trip, perchance successful Southern California.

"I don't deliberation that would beryllium overwhelming for us," Neu said. "I deliberation this play has astir apt fixed maine the assurance we don't person to play each crippled astatine location successful the preseason."

Playing astatine location didn't extremity up serving arsenic overmuch of an advantage, astatine slightest not successful the astir basal mode to measure specified things. The Bears finished the play 12-18 astatine home, 10-12 connected the roadworthy and limped to a 9-21 grounds to decorativeness successful past spot successful the ACC. With the No. 16 effect successful the ACC tourney past week, Cal won a brace of 9 a.m. ET games successful Durham, North Carolina, against No. 9 Miami and No. 8 Wake Forest earlier being eliminated by top-seeded Georgia Tech.

THE TRAVEL TOLL was real, but -- astatine slightest for Oregon State -- truthful was the payoff. After finishing their autarkic play 41-12-1, the Beavers earned the No. 8 nationalist effect successful the NCAA tournament. That means they'll big a regional successful Corvallis that begins Friday and, if they advance, they would again play host, but for a ace regional.

The question present is whether immoderate of this is genuinely sustainable. Will the cross-country flights, missed meals and sleep-deprived nights dilatory erode the competitory borderline these programs person fought truthful hard to maintain? Will players beryllium worn down by the intelligence and carnal toll, oregon volition they find ways to adapt, play aft season?

For now, the realignment inclination crossed assemblage sports is for conferences to go much national. But with specified a drastic shift, it's just to wonderment whether, years from now, immoderate of these nonrevenue sports mightiness yet inclination backmost successful the different direction. That time won't travel soon, but the assemblage is inactive retired connected whether this caller epoch of changeless question is genuinely the mode forward, oregon simply a signifier that assemblage sports volition yet outgrow.