The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) announced the postponement of conference competition for fall sports for the 2020-21 academic year on July 30 due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was made by the MIAA Presidents’ Council on Wednesday evening.
As a member of the MIAA, Saint Mary’s will be postponing all fall semester competitions for cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball. No decision has yet been made for conference competition regarding basketball.
Division III members are awaiting some significant NCAA legislative changes — one would allow fall sports to compete in the spring semester while another would allow fall sports to hold practices and team-related activities in the fall without intercollegiate competitions. The NCAA will also be determining whether or not to shift the traditional fall championships of the spring semester. Decisions from the NCAA Board of Governors are expected at the beginning of August.
“As difficult as this decision was to make, our No. 1 concern has always been for the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, and support staff,” said Director of Athletics Julie Schroeder-Biek ’88. “When the safety measures that we had put in place to this point still did not tip those odds in our favor, postponing competitions to the spring for our fall sports was the right thing to do. We have a better chance for a safe, quality competitive athletic experience in the spring. We look forward to being back together this fall to continue to foster the growth and leadership of our Saint Mary’s student-athletes in a safe manner.”
