The Great Lakes Valley Conference has decided to postpone the majority of the 2020 fall intercollegiate athletics season until the second semester “due to ongoing concerns of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.”
The postponement affects football, men’s and women’s soccer, and volleyball, the conference said.
The conference further said men’s and women’s cross country will still be permitted to compete this fall. Men’s and women’s golf and tennis will also be allowed to compete in their non-championship segments in the fall and continue their season into the spring when their respective championship seasons begin.
The conference has scheduled the beginning of several winter sports of the 2020-21 seasons in September. Women’s bowling, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and men’s and women’s indoor track and field will be permitted to compete as scheduled. The conference has set Oct. 1 as the deadline to determine the competition start date for men’s and women’s basketball and wrestling.
Baseball and softball will be permitted to have only intrasquad competition on campus in the fall, while men’s and women’s lacrosse will be restricted from all competition until second semester, the conference said.
“Regrettably, we find ourselves having to make these difficult decisions in July similar to those made in mid-March, regarding the postponement of [conference] competition for football, soccer, and volleyball for the fall semester,” said conference commissioner Jim Naumovich in a statement. “We remain optimistic that we can provide our student-athletes impacted by today’s news with meaningful opportunities to engage with their teammates and coaches throughout the fall semester to prepare for the planned return to competition in the spring.
