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The Southern Conference announced, via press release on Aug. 13, that fall conference competition would not be taking place. The announcement comes less than a month before football season was slated to begin.
The sports affected by the decision are football, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball. SoCon hopes to resume play for these in the spring, so not all hope is lost. SoCon also left a window open for non-conference games to be played if schools choose to do so.
This was not without its discrepancies. The press release states “Practice and competition for some sports that have their championships in the winter/spring but traditionally have fall practice and competitions (…) will be determined by each institution” and lists golf, tennis, lacrosse, baseball, softball, and rifle as applicable sports. However, this criteria also fits basketball, the Conference’s second biggest money maker, and is a notable omission. It’s possible the SoCon would like to have the final say on the matter of a return to action.
Here’s Southern Conference Commissioner Jim Schaus’ full quote from the release.
“This decision was made with extensive evaluation and conversation. Ultimately, we felt it necessary to ensure the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches and staff. This decision was also supported by the conference’s medical advisory committee.
I am greatly saddened to not be able to conduct our fall conference competition. We know what this means to our student-athletes, coaches, staff and loyal fans, but safety must come first. We are still hopeful that we can have these sports successfully compete in the spring. We will continue to daily monitor the COVID-19 situation in order to make prudent and necessary decisions regarding athletic practice and competition in the future.”
For their part, Catamount Athletics pledged to keep all their student-athletes on scholarship despite the postponement. Practices will still be held and facilities will continue to be in use under NCAA testing protocols and guidelines.
