CCIW to explore competition and championships in the spring
The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Council of Presidents is suspending all fall sports athletic competition and championships for the 2020-21 academic year. The conference office will explore CCIW competition and championships in the spring.
"While I wish we could provide a return to competition for all of our student-athletes, the responsible choice and the unanimous recommendation from all of the CCIW Presidents is that we postpone our fall sports until the spring semester," said Millikin President Dr. Jim Reynolds. "This was a difficult decision but in the interests of public health and safety, a necessary one."
Millikin University Director of Athletics Dr. Craig White noted, "While this is not the decision we had hoped for heading into the fall season, it reflects the most recent guidance from the NCAA, public health agencies and campus and community leaders from across the conference."
"The health and safety of our student-athletes is our number one priority," White adds. "We continue to explore all options that will allow athletes to safely experience being part of a Big Blue team while continuing to get better, stronger and faster for future competition."
The CCIW will not sponsor conference competition or championships this fall in football, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's and women's cross country, women's tennis, and women's golf. Millikin will suspend competition in all fall conference sports and in men's golf and men's tennis. While men's golf and men's tennis hold competitions in the fall, their conference competition and championships are traditionally in the spring. What the season will look like for the Big Blue's women's triathlon team is still being evaluated. Women's triathlon is an NCAA Emerging Sport and is not sponsored by the CCIW.
Millikin athletes will not report to campus early for the start of practice this fall. Student-athletes will follow the University's return to campus guidelines that will be distributed in early August.
Millikin is committed to offering engaging athletic opportunities for fall sport student-athletes including team activities, practice and strength and conditioning workouts this fall. The NCAA and the CCIW have adjusted their playing and practice guidelines that will allow fall sports student-athletes to practice with their teams and participate in a competitive season in the spring.
Winter and spring sport teams are expected to operate on a normal practice schedule, including fall practice sessions in baseball and softball.
A decision by the CCIW on winter sports competition and championships has not been made at this time. The Council of Presidents will continue to evaluate those possibilities in the coming weeks.