The NCAA Board of Governors and NCAA President Mark Emmert agreed Friday to delay a decision on whether or not to cancel fall championship events. But if the NCAA proceeds with hosting its 22 championship events beginning in November, it will do so with one fewer Division I conference competing.
MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor announced Monday that the league has decided to cancel fall sports because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A decision on whether fall sports would be practical in the spring will reached at a later date, the league announced.
Football is not played in the MAAC, but the decision impacts men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country and other sports with seasons that span multiple semesters.
“The MAAC Executive Committee will explore with the Committee on Athletic Administration (COAA) the goal of providing the student-athletes with a schedule of contests among conference members in the spring of 2021 in accordance with each institution’s procedures and applicable state regulations,” Ensor said in a statement. “It is the goal of the MAAC to ensure it recognizes a MAAC champion in each sport and it will review possible championship formats for the fall sports in accordance with evolving state and local regulations.”
The league features 11 full-member schools spread across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. They are: Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan, Marist, Monmouth, Niagara, Quinnipiac, Rider, Saint Peter’s and Siena.
Other Division I conferences who have announced they will not be playing fall sports are:
- America East
- Atlantic 10
- Colonial Athletic Association (will not play football in the fall)
- Ivy League
- MAAC
- MEAC
- Patriot League
- SWAC
If enough Division I conferences decide to cancel fall sports, it could pressure the NCAA Board of Governors to call off fall championships during the board’s next scheduled meeting on Aug. 4. Calling off the fall NCAA championships would likely leave FBS football on a figurative island with a decision to make about how to proceed as its postseason is governed by the College Football Playoff and not the NCAA.
