BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Following careful consideration of the NCAA Division III Administrative Committee’s recommendation that member schools not compete in the fall term to avoid potential increased health and safety risks, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced today that it will postpone all competition until January 2021.
Though both the MIAC Athletic Directors’ and Presidents’ Councils felt that MIAC institutions have made every reasonable effort to return to competition as safely as possible through stringent on-campus and conference planning, guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health, and NCAA resocialization requirements, the latest NCAA Administrative Committee recommendation led the conference to reach the difficult decision to postpone competition through the fall term.
The delay in competition will grant institutions, staff, and students additional time to adjust to new safety protocols on campus in the COVID-19 era while also allowing for continued testing and treatment developments, which remain a key factor for the return of athletics across the nation.
The MIAC previously announced the postponement of all medium- and high-contact risk fall sports (cross country, football, soccer, and volleyball) to the spring season on July 28. This latest decision will push competition in golf and tennis back to the second halves of their split-season schedules, while the basketball, hockey, indoor track and field, and swimming and diving competition seasons are now planning to begin in January. The MIAC Golf Championships, previously set for October, will be rescheduled for Spring 2021. All MIAC teams will maintain the institutional autonomy to practice, train, and conduct other athletic-related activities throughout the academic year in accordance with NCAA and campus protocols.
MIAC winter-sport coaches have begun work on building a framework and schedules for a compressed conference season beginning in January 2021. The MIAC will release schedules for all postponed seasons in the coming months.
In addition to the decision on competition, the MIAC also approved legislation for a five-year eligibility relief package to match NCAA Eligibility Bylaws and accept all NCAA blanket waivers, allowing student-athletes impacted by COVID-19 to plan their academic paths with maximum flexibility. The legislation is effective immediately and will be in place through the 2024-25 academic year. The conference granted a similar exception for graduating seniors impacted by COVID-19 this past spring.
For updated news and information related to COVID-19 and college athletics, please visit the MIAC COVID-19 Resources page.
