September 21, 2026

President Michael Crow
VIA ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION

Dear President Crow,

I am writing to provide you with an update on your charge to review the circumstances surrounding the hospitalization of ASU student Matthew Mayich following a hockey team activity on August 20, 2026.

This event serves as a reminder of the importance of student well-being in all student activities, including athletic activities. As all ASU student-athletes train outside, and many also compete in outdoor settings, a careful review of ASU’s practices in this regard is essential.

In the month following Matthew’s hospitalization, our review has focused on fact finding with the goal of identifying additional steps that ASU can and should take to improve student-athletes’ well-being. As limited medical information is available to us, and we remain committed to respecting the privacy of Matthew and his family, our review has focused on the circumstances surrounding the workout and related university policies, procedures and training protocols.

The ASU Police Department is also conducting an investigation of these events, as it would for any serious injury occurring on campus. While ASU may consider their information in its administrative oversight of Sun Devil Athletics, the ASU Police Department has the discretion to conduct its own investigation in accordance with police procedures. Its report, when complete, will be provided to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for its independent review.

At present, a total of 20 individuals have been interviewed either as part of this review or by the ASU Police Department, and relevant information has been gathered from available records. All student-athletes have been invited to share information about their observations and experiences, but none have been required to participate in interviews. Several student-athletes have spoken with the ASU Police Department. We will continue to provide all student-athletes with support and encourage them to speak with us, the ASU Police Department, or both when they are comfortable doing so. We will also continue to affirm that retaliation against any individual for providing information or expressing concerns as part of the university’s administrative review or the ASU Police Department’s investigation will not be tolerated.

While these efforts will continue, the information assembled to date is sufficient for me to provide an initial summary of the events of August 20 and to recommend an additional step that we can take at this time.

To that end, I have provided a summary of Sun Devil Athletics’ existing practices regarding outdoor athletic activities, a summary and timeline of events leading up to Matthew’s hospitalization, and a chart showing the roles and reporting relationships of relevant individuals.

I have also outlined a proposal for an additional step ASU may take at this time - the establishment of a blue-ribbon advisory panel to provide recommendations regarding Sun Devil Athletics’ practices with regard to outdoor athletic activities and the use of outside consultants. Chartering a blue-ribbon panel to advise us on best practices can only further our commitment to the wellness of our student-athletes, while we continue to review of the specific events of August 20 to learn more.

I will continue to update you as the review progresses and the work of the advisory panel commences. Information about this review will also be posted on a website to provide student-athletes, families, ASU Hockey supporters, and the public with as much transparency as possible to the extent consistent with privacy concerns and applicable laws. I have also provided a copy of this report to the ASU hockey team and reiterated our commitment to support them.

Background on Practices and Procedures for Outdoor Activities by ASU Student-Athletes

ASU employs strength and conditioning coaches to work with its student-athletes. It also has a sports medicine department that consists of ASU-employed athletic trainers under the supervision of ASU Health Services as well as team physicians under contract with the university.

All student-athletes must complete a pre-participation physical before participating in athletic activities.

In addition to using its own coaches and trainers, ASU engages with outside consultants to provide additional support and expertise for student-athlete performance and wellness. The use of consultants is subject to pre-approval requirements. A copy of Sun Devil Athletics’ policy regarding the use of consultants is enclosed as Attachment A.

ASU has adopted guidelines for the prevention of heat-related illness that are informed by the advice of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and were developed in consultation with the Mayo Clinic. A copy of these guidelines is enclosed as Attachment B.

ASU athletes regularly practice and train outside, and many sports compete outside. Those competitions involve teams from other institutions that travel to Arizona from a variety of climates to play outdoors with little time for acclimatization to desert conditions.

Summary of the Facts Relating to the August 20 ASU Hockey Workout. ¹

Shortly before 8:30 in the morning on August 20, 2026, Matthew Mayich, an ASU Hockey player, collapsed during a hockey team workout held at Sun Angel Stadium on ASU’s Tempe campus.

The August 20 event was the first of a planned three-day team building event for the ASU Hockey team.

The event took place between approximately 7:00 and 8:30 a.m. at Sun Angel Stadium, an outdoor track-and-field facility on ASU’s Tempe campus. Outdoor temperatures during this timeframe ranged from 86° to 89° F with a relative humidity of 51% to 46%. ²

1. ¹ A timeline summarizing these events is enclosed as Attachment C, and a chart showing the roles and relationships of key positions involved in the events of August 20 is enclosed as Attachment D. Please be aware that this summary is based on the information available to us at this time and that the ongoing review may identify additional or differing information.
2. ² These calculations were made based on publicly available  data from the Weather Underground network of sensors and the sensor located closest to the Sun Angel Stadium, using the calculator published by the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):   https://www.osha.gov/heat-exposure/wbgt-calculator.

At each of the three hourly data points above, recorded conditions were mostly cloudy. In cloudy conditions, WBGT will be between the full sunlight and shade numbers.

The activities of the event consisted of calisthenics, bodyweight exercises such as pushups and planks, and running.

All three ASU Hockey coaches were present at the event along with the team’s assigned athletic trainer, a member of the sports medicine staff. Also present at the event was Timothy Ziesel, an individual who had spoken with the ASU Hockey team in the 2025-26 season about topics of leadership and teamwork.

The ASU Hockey team coaching staff requested permission for Ziesel to speak to the team but did not submit a plan of training activities for review by ASU’s strength and conditioning coaches prior to the event.

All of the student-athletes who participated in the event had been medically cleared for athletics participation prior to the event. This included Matthew, who had arrived in Tempe from his home in Canada eight days earlier (on August 12) and been medically cleared by the team physician and the athletic trainer after a pre-participation physical examination.

Although the team event was the first event of the year led by the ASU Hockey coaches, student-athletes, including Matthew, had already participated in three prior voluntary strength and conditioning workouts. These workouts, which were led by a strength and conditioning coach, lasted between 1.5 and 2 hours and included approximately 15 minutes of outdoor calisthenic or body weight exercises.

Prior to the August 20 event, the student athletes were told in both a meeting and by a written message to rest and hydrate in preparation for the event. ASU Hockey staff ordered short-sleeved, light-colored shirts for them to wear with shorts during the event, and the athletic trainer brought water for the student-athletes to drink as well as a cooler with iced towels.

A break was taken approximately 20 minutes into the event for the student-athletes to drink water.

Toward the end of the event, another break was taken while student-athletes were given instructions for a wind-down exercise of running with a medicine ball.

Student-athletes completed this wind-down in groups. Matthew was in one of the later groups to complete this exercise. When running, Matthew appeared to struggle, and then in rapid succession stumbled, dropped the medicine ball, and fell to the ground. He attempted to get up and resume running but fell to his knees.

The athletic trainer and other student-athletes encouraged Matthew to stay on the ground. The athletic trainer assessed his condition and began applying iced towels and cool water to him.

While Matthew was initially responsive, his condition deteriorated. The athletic trainer called 911 and asked for EMS to respond. She directed student-athletes to assist her in moving Matthew to a shady area and continued applying iced towels and water from a hose while waiting for EMS.

After an EMS team arrived, it took over care of the student-athlete.

Further Review of Best Practices for Outdoor Training, Practice, and Competition

To fulfill its commitment to the well-being of the student-athletes who participate in athletics at ASU, the university will be undertaking a comprehensive review of its practices to identify and implement best practices regarding the planning, conduct and monitoring of athletic activities and the response to emergencies that arise during athletic activities.

Specifically, ASU will engage a multi-disciplinary panel of experts to provide recommendations regarding best practices for:

1. Planning and approval of outdoor athletic activities, including strength and conditioning activities, practices and competitions.
2. Staffing, monitoring and conduct of outdoor athletic activities, including adjustments to address changed conditions or adverse reactions.
3. Preparation for and response to adverse events or reactions occurring during outdoor athletic activities.
4. Use of outside consultants in the planning and delivery of strength and conditioning and practice activities.

All ASU student-athletes will be invited to provide suggestions, questions and information as part of this process and will be provided options for confidential and anonymized input.

ASU will make public the policies and practices it adopts or modifies as a result of the expert panel’s recommendations.

This concludes my initial report to you regarding the ongoing review. We will continue to gather information about this matter and share it with you in additional updates.

Sincerely,

James Rund
Senior Vice President, Educational Outreach and Student Services