ASU hockey team did not follow heat policy when student collapsed, report shows

Arizona State University’s hockey team may not have been following university policies when a student athlete collapsed during an outdoor practice in August, the university’s initial report on the incident shows.

Matthew Mayich remains hospitalized in a coma more than a month after the Aug. 20 practice. His family’s lawyer said the 21-year-old suffered exertional heatstroke and is unlikely to make a recovery.

“This was 100% a direct result of heatstroke and dehydration and the way the university handled all of this,” attorney Robert Carey told KJZZ news earlier this month.

James Rund, ASU senior vice president for educational outreach and student services, has been leading a review of the university’s policies and the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Rund submitted an initial report to ASU president Michael Crow on Sept. 21.

The report says Mayich, who was new to the team, had arrived in Arizona just eight days prior to the workout and says he had participated in brief outdoor exercises during that time.

Aug. 20 was the first day of coach-led practice. The National Weather Service had issued an extreme heat warning that day. The team practiced at Sun Angel Stadium, an outdoor track-and-field facility on ASU’s Tempe campus.

The report says the workout started at 7 a.m. and consisted of calisthenics, bodyweight exercises such as pushups and planks, and running.

After more than an hour outdoors, during a wind-down activity running with a medicine ball, Mayich appeared to struggle, then fell to the ground, the report says.

“The athletic trainer assessed his condition and began applying iced towels and cool water to him,” The report states. “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.”

Sun Devil Athletics’ heat illness policy requires a tub half-filled with cold water to be available for immediate immersion in cases of heat illness and says three or four coolers of ice should be available next to the tub to quickly use in case of emergency. It recommends full-body immersion in cold water as the first response to heat illness.

The report says on the morning of Aug. 20, the outdoor temperature was between 86 and 89 degrees and humidity was between 51% and 46%. Sun Devil Athletics’ heat illness policy classifies those conditions as “moderate” heat risk. In this risk category, the policy says, “heat sensitive and unacclimatized athletes may suffer. Use caution during prolonged activity.”

The policy says student athletes should be given time to gradually acclimatize to heat over a period of seven to 14 days. The policy also states practices should be in settings similar to competition.

The Aug. 20 workout was led by Army special forces veteran Timothy Ziesel, whom ASU hockey coaches had brought in as an outside consultant to guide teambuilding exercises.

“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,” the report states.

The report does not place blame on any party involved, but recommends ASU form an advisory panel to review policies for the use of outside consultants and outdoor athletic activities.

The report notes ASU police are conducting their own investigation into the incident.

During a National Collegiate Hockey Conference media event Wednesday, ASU hockey head coach Greg Powers declined to comment on the report or the ongoing investigation but said he is still the right person to lead the team.

“I believe that I am the right guy, and 20 years of a body of work and building a program, almost 20 years now, I still believe that,” Powers said. “Everything that has been great about coming here to play hockey still is.”

Carey has said coaches should be removed and he has called for an independent investigation into Mayich’s collapse. 

“There's a child who’s incapacitated and unlikely to recover, and you don’t think there was a mistake here? That’s just not a normal outcome,” Carey told KJZZ. “The university’s got to set an example here of how you handle when you make a mistake.”