NEWPORT NEWS, Va. —The member institutions of the Atlantic 10 Conference, with a commitment to the health and safety of the league’s student-athletes, coaches and staff, have outlined and approved several measures related to winter sports competition. These decisions were accepted by the A-10 Presidents Council at its virtual fall meeting, which concluded Thursday, Nov. 12.
The Atlantic 10 will not conduct the 2021 Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships, originally scheduled for February. The league will also move the Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, scheduled for February 2021, to April 2021 assuming COVID conditions allow for hosting a safe Championship.
“The decision to cancel the Indoor Track and Field Championship and to move the Swimming and Diving Championship was not made lightly. However, the health and well-being of A-10 student-athletes is paramount in all discussions and actions, and the member institutions deliberated deeply before coming to this conclusion,” stated Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. “The league is still scheduled to hold both the Cross Country Championships and the Outdoor Track and Field Championships this spring pending more favorable COVID conditions.
The Presidents Council also reviewed and accepted stringent Atlantic 10 protocols and recommendations from the league’s COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee for both Men’s and Women’s Basketball and the A-10 Olympic sports programs. These include scheduling flexibility in all sports, implementing open dates for the potential of rescheduling of contests and alternate travel partners to reduce unnecessary travel. Additionally, the testing protocols recommended by the NCAA medical advisory committee were endorsed and implemented.
Currently, the Atlantic 10 is scheduled to conduct an 18-game conference schedule in men’s and women’s basketball, and will conduct both basketball championships with a full complement of teams if pandemic conditions allow. Olympic sport conference schedules in soccer, volleyball, field hockey, lacrosse, baseball and softball will remain regionalized for both fall and spring sports to compete in the spring of 2021, and the championships for those sports will be four-team events conducted at the home site of the highest seed.
“I commend my colleagues at the Atlantic 10 member institutions on making challenging decisions, and thank them for thoughtful deliberations as we considered what is best for the A-10 and its student-athletes. The top priority as university presidents is always the students, and that includes the student-athletes and athletics programs. The decisions the member institutions have made, which were accepted by the council Thursday, reflected that priority.” said Dr. Mark C. Reed, President of Saint Joseph’s University and Chair of the A-10 Presidents Council.