With the health and safety of students, faculty, staff, and campus communities as its top priority, the Centennial Conference Presidents Council continues to evaluate the possibility of spring conference competition amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Following extensive discussions, the Presidents Council has agreed that it will defer any judgment for the moment to provide additional time to evaluate conditions on campuses and the evolution of the virus.
While the number of COVID cases has begun to decrease regionally and nationally, conditions are worse now than they were at the beginning of the fall semester. Additionally, new variants of the virus appear to be more contagious and more easily transmitted. The Presidents Council will closely monitor and evaluate the public health climate along with federal, state, and local guidelines in considering the potential for spring competition.
Centennial Conference athletic directors, sports medicine professionals, and conference officials are developing guidelines and protocols for a safe return to play, should circumstances permit. Alternate scheduling formats for conference play and championships are also being created. If conditions improve and a spring conference season takes place, it would likely not begin until late March and feature a truncated schedule.
Athletics is a valuable component to the student experience, and institutions will continue to find meaningful ways to engage student-athletes in athletic activities. The Presidents Council remains dedicated to evaluating all facets of this extremely complicated issue while making a final decision on spring conference competition in late February.