USA South Athletic Conference moves fall competition to the spring semester
From the Huntingdon College Office of Communications
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The USA South Athletic Conference issued the following statement today:
With the health and safety of student athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, and athletics staffs as their priority, the Presidents of the USA South Athletic Conference have voted unanimously to postpone all fall sport conference competition until the spring 2021 semester. The sports impacted are football, men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, men's cross country, and women's cross country. This decision was made in light of several factors, including the recent rise in positive COVID-19 cases throughout the USA South's geographical footprint. Other major factors include the availability, cost, and feasibility of adequate and consistent testing for student athletes.
"While our member institutions maintain the freedom to address athletics as they see best on their individual campuses this fall, the NCAA recommendations especially related to testing that came out recently were a real game changer for our 18 conference schools collectively," detailed Dr. Tom Hart, USA South Commissioner. "We will begin work immediately to develop a strategic plan that allows for fall conference sports competition to return in some capacity in the spring provided public health conditions improve in the coming months."
"Providing safe opportunities for our student athletes to pursue their passions has always been a hallmark of this conference," shared Dr. James Mellichamp, Piedmont College President and chair of the USA South Presidents Council. "The global pandemic has currently hindered our conference, along with a vast majority of Division III conferences, to carry out that intention this fall. Until we can ensure safe conditions for student-athletes, coaches, and staff to travel and compete on a variety of campuses, each institution will need to focus its efforts on maximizing the opportunity to develop best-practices – related not only to collegiate athletics but also academics – within the constraints of local and state guidelines."
Any further announcements from the USA South regarding the 2020-21 academic season will be shared on USASouth.net.
See below for Frequently Asked Questions:
Which USA South sports are affected by this announcement?
Football, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Volleyball, Men's Cross Country, and Women's Cross Country. Men's and Women's Basketball currently are not included.
Is there still opportunity to practice or play contests in the fall?
Yes. The NCAA recently passed a waiver that will allow for all student-athletes in all sports to practice and/or participate in outside competition. Per that NCAA ruling, these decisions shall be made on an institution-by-institution basis. Any games played against outside competition during the fall semester will not be scheduled by the USA South and will not be considered "conference" contests.
How is eligibility affected by this announcement?
Student-athletes are permitted to practice without losing a year of eligibility. Additionally, the NCAA passed a blanket waiver detailing that student-athletes will not be charged with participation for the 2020-21 season if their team can complete only 50% or less of the sport's maximum contests/dates of competition due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. More details can be found HERE.
Will these postponed games be played in the spring and will there be Conference championships?
It is the intention of the USA South to formulate plans to play as many contests as feasible for the sports mentioned above within the spring semester and conduct championship competition. To assist with this goal, the NCAA recently approved a waiver that provides institutions with flexibility in their sport seasons during 2020-21. This waiver allows schools to count their playing seasons in 114 days instead of a specified number of consecutive weeks. Any hopes of spring participation continue to depend on improvements of external factors related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Will NCAA Championships for Division III fall sports be conducted? If so, will they be in the fall or spring semester?
The NCAA Board of Governors is currently considering this matter. In a letter to the NCAA BOG, the NCAA Division III Management Council recommended that fall championships be cancelled.
When will decisions regarding men's and women's basketball or the spring sport seasons be made?
The leadership within the USA South will now shift its focus towards the sports of men's and women's basketball while keeping a watchful eye on the spring sports. Any decisions and progress will be dependent on public health mandates of each institution and state, in addition to the NCAA and its guidelines.
Are there more resources to learn about NCAA updates or how specific institutional decisions will be made?
Institutional athletic departments (athletic director, head coach, website) can be used as resources when inquiring about how these decisions affect their specific athletic and/or academic situations. Additionally, the NCAA has a COVID-19 update page which can be accessed HERE.
"We have been in conversation for months with our conference partners about how we might collectively achieve the shared goal of a traditional fall sports season," stated Huntingdon President J. Cameron West. "Ultimately, the continued spread of COVID-19 and guidance from the NCAA led to this decision to move our fall athletic seasons to the spring semester. In so doing, we focus on the health and wellness of everyone associated with our College community."
"I know this is deeply disappointing for our fall student-athletes, coaches, cheerleaders, the marching band, and the families of all of these Hawks. All of us at Huntingdon appreciate and respect the many contributions to campus life these groups provide our campus community in the fall. Although we will have a unique fall semester, we remain fully committed to providing opportunities on campus for our student-athletes to prepare to be successful during the spring semester."
"While we certainly had been hoping and planning to have a traditional fall season, this is the right decision as we work together to promote the health and safety of all of our students and coaches," stated Athletic Director Eric Levanda. "In speaking with our fall sport coaches, I am confident that we can use this semester to create a meaningful experience for our student-athletes consistent with health and safety guidelines and NCAA standards in order to position our teams to compete for championships in the spring."
Veteran head football coach Mike Turk offered remarks on the postponement of the fall season to the spring. "Given all that we know, this decision makes sense," stated Turk. "Whether we play in the fall, winter, spring or summer, we're going to be ready to play football. As important as playing and competing are to our team, I know our players share the desire to be back on campus and to be together. Our team is a family. We've overcome adversity before and we'll overcome this together as a family."
"We understand this is a decision that had to be made despite all of the planning that has taken place by the administration over the summer to prepare for the fall," stated Dr. Rusty Logan, Huntingdon's director of bands. "Knowing this was a possibility, we've already given thought to how we can use the spirit and talents of our marching band during the fall. We'll also be ready to cheer on the Hawks during the spring semester."