Questions raised over ASU hockey training program, policies after player allegedly denied water

TEMPE, AZ (AZFamily) — Questions are being raised about Arizona State University’s hockey training program and policies after an attorney said a player was denied water during an outdoor workout before collapsing.

ASU hockey player Matthew Mayich, 21, remains hospitalized and unresponsive.

Attorney describes workout conditions

The attorney for Mayich’s family said players had to complete an outdoor workout and were denied water if they failed to finish the exercise within a certain time.

According to the attorney, players participated in a military-style station workout run by a Green Beret. They raced the clock for over an hour in 90-degree heat on the school’s track. The attorney alleges that if players failed a station, they were denied water.

Mayich collapsed during the sanctioned, outdoor team workout in the early morning hours of Aug. 20. His family said he suffered a heat stroke that caused a lack of oxygen to the brain.

Heat illness expert cites concern

Susan Yeargin, an associate professor of athletic training at the University of South Carolina who specializes in heat illnesses in athletes, said the case reflects known warning signs.

“It almost sounds like a perfect storm kind of situation,” Yeargin said. “It sounds like it was the workout, the environment, the fact that he wasn’t acclimatized, and he was dehydrated.”

Yeargin said the conditions described in the case are not unpredictable.

“We know that hot conditions lead to a high core body temperature,” Yeargin said. “We know that high-intensity workouts lead to a high core body temperature. We know that a dehydrated person is more likely to have a high core body temperature. So we know all these things. So none of it is by accident or just fate.”

She also raised concern specifically about withholding water during the workout.

“The human body does make adaptations to hot environments and cold environments and altitude, but it does not make adaptations to withholding hydration,” Yeargin said.

Mayich was a new transfer to ASU from Canada with no history of health issues, according to his family.

“I think that it should be a wake-up call that there are a lot of guidelines that exist,” Yeargin said.

ASU responds

According to a heat illness policy provided by ASU Athletics, water is required to be provided at all practices, and athletes will be encouraged to consume fluids even if it’s not during a scheduled break.

An ASU spokesperson said the university is reviewing the workout, policies and training protocols.

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