The Big Sky Conference has decided to delay the first date of competition for its Olympic sports during the fall 2020 season, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. It hasn’t made a decision yet on football.
The first date of competition for the traditional fall sports of soccer, volleyball, and men’s and women’s cross country, as well as the non-championship seasons for men’s and women’s tennis and softball, will now be Sept. 18.
“The new competition start date will allow each member institution to stagger the return to campus for the rosters of these sports teams while providing additional time to fine-tune return-to-play protocols and maintaining competitive opportunities this fall for the student-athletes,” the conference said in a statement. “Big Sky institutions may continue with permissible athletics activities at their discretion while abiding by NCAA legislation, campus policies, and local and state regulations.”