The Atlantic 10 Conference announced on Friday that it will be postponing all scheduled fall contests in conference-sponsored sports due to COVID-19, with the intention of conducting a competitive schedule for the fall sports in the 2021 spring semester.
According to a release by the conference, men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, men’s and women’s cross country and volleyball will not play this fall semester. Men’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and women’s rowing will also have their fall schedules postponed, but the winter and spring schedules remain unchanged at this time.
The conference and institutional leadership have agreed to explore an option of starting up play in mid-September if the COVID risk has substantially reduced. If it is deemed safe to begin play in September, medical and institutional protocols would be required to assure the safety of everyone involved in the return to play – student-athletes, staff and the campus community.
If COVID-19 risk levels do not improve, the teams and student-athletes will continue training and practicing while attending classes and prepare for a spring 2021 competitive schedule.
“Safety, health and the well-being of student-athletes, coaches, administrators and the campus community at large is the primary concern and responsibility of the Atlantic 10 Conference and its member institutions,” the Atlantic 10 said in the release.
“Upon their return to campus, teams will have the opportunity to train and practice under the approved safety protocols established in partnership with the league, each institution and local public health experts. Modifications to practice and organized team activities are already underway, and will allow each student-athlete the opportunity to recondition and hone their athletic skills while remaining focused on their scheduled academic pursuits.”
The Atlantic 10 has eleven schools that sponsor swimming and diving: Davidson, Duquesne, Fordham, George Mason, George Washington, La Salle, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Richmond, Saint Louis and St. Bonaventure.
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That’s better than cancellation of the Fall sports, all together!
That’s at least giving hope
?