Since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic several months ago, the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) member institutions have prioritized the health and safety of their communities in plans for reopening their campuses this fall. Some members have recently announced individual plans for the upcoming academic year and others will soon.
In accordance with public health guidance and safety standards, as well as NCAA Resocialization recommendations, the SCIAC Presidents have unanimously agreed to cancel conference competition at least for NCAA categorized high-contact risk sports in the fall semester. The following sports are included in this recent decision: men's and women's soccer, men's water polo, football, women's volleyball, and men's and women's basketball.
Our current understanding is that residential and in-person higher education programs continue to be conditioned on state and county approvals under Stage 3 of California's Resilience Roadmap. If such approvals are in place, SCIAC will consider opportunities for conference competition in low and medium contact risk sports. These sports include men's and women's cross country, tennis, golf, and swimming and diving. Even with any necessary approvals, and given that local health conditions and institutional capacities vary across our conference and that we serve differing populations at our diverse institutions, each member of SCIAC will make an individual decision about athletics.
The SCIAC and its members remain committed to exploring meaningful competitive conference experiences for fall sport student-athletes in the spring semester. The NCAA recently announced flexible amendments to current playing and practice bylaws. Within the boundaries of NCAA policy, each institution will determine what is permissible for team activities during the fall semester for their student-athletes. Discussions and decisions related to winter and spring sports competition will continue to take place throughout the fall semester.
As the pandemic evolves, the SCIAC will continue to monitor changing federal, state, and local guidance, and will continue to consult with each other as well as public health authorities. The health and well-being of all constituents involved have been and will continue to be the driving force behind our individual and collective decisions during this time. We will update our communities continuously throughout the next weeks and months and wish everyone the best of health and success.
For more information about what this means for Redlands' student-athletes, please visit the Bulldog Athletics FAQ for COVID-19.