Sports Update: Flames fall athletics postponed, championships canceled due to coronavirus
Photo courtesy of the Gulf South Conference
As part of the Gulf South Conference and NCAA Division II, Lee announced all Flames soccer, volleyball and basketball games will be postponed until at least Jan. 1, and all championships are canceled this fall.
This decision follows the official NCAA decision on Aug. 5 to cancel all seven Division II fall sports championships and the GSC decision on Aug. 12 to postpone high-risk sports until after Christmas break.
Sandra Jordan, chair of the Division II presidents council, detailed the decision in the Aug. 5 press release.
“After reviewing and discussing the board of governors’ directives, the Division II presidents council made the difficult decision that holding fall championships in any capacity was not a viable or fiscally responsible option for Division II, this decision was discussed very thoroughly, and I assure you, it was not made lightly,” Jordan said.
The Division II council decided it is impossible to continue with NCAA championships this fall or push them to the spring without risking student health and well-being.
NCAA Division III championships have also been canceled, while Division I is working on moving their championships to the spring of 2021. Fall sport student-athletes will be granted “eligibility-related flexibility” to give them championship opportunities in the future.
After the decision to cancel fall championships, conferences developed plans for the regular season. As one of the 13 official schools in the conference, Lee followed the GSC’s decision to postpone games in high-risk sports until January.
This decision came as difficult news after not only having to cancel Lee’s first appearance at the NCAA D2 Women’s Basketball South Regional Tournament but also all spring sports seasons back in March.
“I can honestly say this has been the roughest stretch of my professional career,” said Lee Athletic Director Larry Carpenter. “Starting last year with the winter and spring sports not having an opportunity to finish the season or have a championship … That was really tough.”
After a disheartening spring, the GSC Athletic Directors met over the summer to make plans and protocols for the fall season. Lee created an athletic task force to handle all coronavirus-related compliance and reopening guidelines.
“We learned along the way,” said Carpenter. “During the summer, we were hopeful that we would be able to learn how to live with this, and I think that’s something we have to do. We have to learn how to navigate through this, especially athletically, as it’s different from other things because we have certain requirements.”
Golf and cross-country competition is permitted for this fall semester, as these sports are not considered high-risk. They will follow NCAA safety guidelines and allow the athletics task force to evaluate the protocols put in place.
“I would say that it’s a really good time to be a golfer,” said Director of Golf John Maupin. “Golf is fortunate to be a sport where we can social distance through a time such as this. We can still practice, so we’ve noticed there are not a lot of people going out to the golf courses. It’s a place where we can safely get some recreation in.”
Lee’s soccer, volleyball and basketball teams are looking to have games during the spring season. Baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis and track are planning on having games too, although details have yet to be worked out.
“It will definitely be busy,” said Carpenter. “But we will make it happen. We want everyone to be able to play.”
The pandemic has disrupted Lee Athletic’s way of life; however, the athletic task force is meeting with the GSC board regularly to establish the best way to handle sports practices this fall and competition in the spring.
With new NCAA guidelines coming out each week, Carpenter said Lee is working diligently to safely bring sports back to campus with students’ best interests in mind.
