FRISCO, TX – The Southland Conference is the latest collegiate sports organization to postpone play due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Football, volleyball, women’s soccer, and cross country will be postponed for the fall semester, the Southland Conference Board of Directors announced this morning.
“After thoughtful consideration, the Southland Conference Board of Directors reached consensus in postponing league competition for our fall semester sports,” Dr. Houston Davis, Board Chair and President of the University of Central Arkansas, said. “Protecting competitive opportunities in a safe manner for our student-athletes was paramount in the review, and a delay to the spring allows campuses and athletic departments to get a better handle on issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Individual schools are free to choose to participate in “limited fall competition.”
“The Board concluded that an entire fall sports season is not likely, and that a postponement to spring can provide the important opportunities our teams annually seek,” Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett added. “While disappointed that we won’t be playing these sports in the Southland’s 58th year of fall competition, we look forward to a unique spring season of athletics that also includes NCAA postseason opportunities.”
The University of New Orleans, Nicholls State University, McNeese State University, Northwestern State University, and Southeastern Louisiana University are all in the Southland Conference.