GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Presidents' Athletic Conference Presidents Council made unanimous decisions regarding athletic competition for the fall 2020 semester during a virtual meeting held on Thursday, July 23. Decisions made included:
• Postponement of fall 2020 athletic competitions in the NCAA-defined "high-contact" and "medium contact" sports of football, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's and women's cross country until the spring 2021 semester, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The NCAA-defined "low contact" fall 2020 sports of women's tennis and men's and women's golf will tentatively be permitted to compete with conference competition only, as previously announced, barring additional NCAA or state guidelines/restrictions. The conference will also explore logistical options for holding fall athletic competitions in other "low contact" sports such as men's and women's outdoor track & field and men's tennis, which have typically held their traditional seasons in the spring in past years.
• Tentative modified spring varsity game/competition schedules in football, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's and women's cross country will be developed by the PAC Scheduling Working Group and released in the near future.
• In addition, the PAC Presidents' Council also agreed to not hold any winter varsity sports competitions prior to January 1, 2021.
The decision by the PAC to postpone fall competition until the spring of 2021 was largely driven by the NCAA Sport Science Institute releasing updated health & safety/resocialization guidelines on July 16 related to COVID-19, which classified football, soccer and volleyball as "high contact" sports. The document recommends that all "high contact" sports should currently have all student-athletes tested on a weekly basis for COVID-19 when social distancing is not possible (e.g. during competitions), including within 72 hours after each football game for all student-athletes, coaches, officials and staff. As a "medium contact" sport, guidelines for cross country competition include initial testing of all student-athletes followed by maintenance testing bi-weekly throughout the season.
As a result of this decision, PAC member schools will focus on athletic activities for high and medium contact sports that are consistent with their individual health and safety plans and public health protocols. The conference office will be providing schools with additional compliance guidance related to COVID-19 related waivers approved by the NCAA.
"I cannot stress this point enough: this is a postponement of certain fall sports competitions," said PAC Commissioner Joe Onderko. "Our Presidents Council has indicated every intention of having our schools play football, soccer, [women's] volleyball and cross country league schedules to the greatest degree possible during the spring 2021 semester, with a continued highest priority on student-athlete health & safety."
"We remain extremely hopeful that improved, more available and more cost-effective testing procedures for COVID-19, if not an outright vaccine, will make spring competitions in these high-impact sports a much more viable option than in the fall. Moving all winter sports competitions until after January 1 also gives us a greater degree of confidence in both starting and finishing those seasons."
The PAC will continue to monitor and research options due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 public health crisis through the remainder of the summer and fall. The conference will continue to adjust its policies, guidelines, and schedules as necessary to maximize the health and safety of our student-athletes and coaches, as well as to provide them with the best athletic experience possible during the remainder of the rapidly evolving public health crisis.
