Ohio Wesleyan University and the North Coast Athletic Conference are developing plans and procedures for intercollegiate athletics during the fall 2020 semester.
The plans outlined will be under constant review and are subject to change at any point based on health and safety as well as COVID-19 related issues and developments.
The NCAC Presidents’ Council has approved plans for fall seasons after extensive work from a conference-wide COVID steering committee, as well as working groups made up of NCAC academic leaders, administrators, faculty representatives, health care professionals, legal counsel, and coaches that have been meeting since this spring.
The opportunity to compete safely has been the guiding principle of this work. Within that framework, the NCAC will provide teams and student-athletes with the most meaningful competitive experience possible, even though it may look entirely different than what we are all used to.
Athletics programs will establish and follow policies and requirements designed to mitigate risk based on the orders and recommendations of federal, state, and local health departments, the NCAA, and the NCAC Health & Safety Committee.
The NCAC has adopted Friday, Sept. 18, as the first permissible contest date.
Teams are scheduled to arrive on campus on Aug. 12-13, with entry times to be spread out throughout those days to allow for distancing. Details will be provided to each team in the next few weeks.
Student-athletes will be tested on arrival and once per week during the season.
After move-in and physicals, student-athletes will begin Phase 1 of the NCAA acclimatization process.
NCAC members will play limited, conference-only schedules based on geographical groupings that eliminate all overnight travel. All contests will be played on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, eliminating midweek games to allow for testing and compressed academic schedules. Conference championships in team sports will be determined by best overall record as per the conference’s pandemic policy.
As of this writing, neither Ohio Wesleyan nor the NCAC has made a determination on indoor/outdoor spectators.
Information related to schedules and the opportunity for spectators to attend events is being developed and details will be shared in the coming weeks. The most up-to-date information will be posted on battlingbishops.com
