BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Gulf South Conference will postpone competition in basketball, football, soccer and volleyball until at least January 1, 2021.
These sports are identified as high contact risk sports by the NCAA and are subject to significant testing requirements for all student-athletes and "inner bubble" personnel.
Three significant factors helped the conference Board of Directors in determining this course of action:
- Health and safety of student-athletes and campus communities;
- Mandated participation protocols from the NCAA Board of Governors, most notably the requirements related to Resocialization of Collegiate Sport: Developing Standards for Practice and Competition;
- NCAA Division II Fall Championships cancellation.
Cross Country and Golf competition will be permitted during the fall semester with the GSC Cross Country Championship date potentially moved to better accommodate the calendar. Designated as low contact risk and medium contact risk, these sports feature more manageable testing and monitoring requirements per NCAA medical guidance as well as limited competition opportunities.
All practice, strength and conditioning, team meetings, and other countable athletic related activities (CARA) shall be subject to NCAA rules, NCAA health and safety requirements, and institutional discretion.
In the sports of football, soccer and volleyball, the conference will evaluate options for spring competition that provide meaningful competition for these student-athletes. A spring season may not feature the use of traditional formats for regular season play or tournaments.
In the sport of basketball, the GSC will work over the next several weeks to outline a calendar for this year's basketball schedule and tournament. Further, the conference will work through the NCAA governance process to advocate for additional weeks of competition in the spring semester.
There is no change in spring sport competition at this time.
STATEMENTS FROM UWF ATHLETICS COACHES
Joe Bartlinski, Head Women's Soccer Coach: "When some organizations see these kinds of events as setbacks, we will look at this time as a great opportunity."
Bill Elliott, Head Men's Soccer Coach: "All of us in men's soccer program or obviously disappointed by the inability to do what we love. Having said that, we've been through a similar situation when Hurricane Ivan made landfall in Pensacola. We used that time to focus on strengthening the relationships within the team, with our alumni and with the community so we will try to make the best of the situation in a similar way."
Pete Shinnick, Head Football Coach: "As a team we are disappointed that we will not have the opportunity to play in front of our great fans at Blue Wahoos Stadium and defend our national championship this season. As we move forward we look forward to having an opportunity to compete this spring. And as a program, we plan to continue to seek Arete daily."
Stephanie Lawrence Yelton, Head Women's Basketball Coach: "Postponing the start of basketball season is the right decision to be made at this time. Pushing the start of the season to January gives us a bit more time to train our athletes in a healthy and safe manner before competition. We look forward to our athletes arriving on campus later this month after not seeing them for six months since the COVID-19 outbreak."
Jeff Burkhamer, Head Men's Basketball Coach: "We are very disappointed for our players but we understand these are challenging times. We will use the fall semester to improve individual skills and to work hard on academics. We look forward to playing games in January and look forward to things getting back to normal."
