On Friday afternoon, the Missouri Valley Conference announced the indefinite postponement of all fall sports scheduled for 2020. The decision impacts all fall sports offered at Bradley University: men’s and women’s cross country, volleyball, and soccer.
According to the release which was published on the conference website, the postponement does not impact MVC-sponsored sports that hold championships in the winter and spring. As a result, women’s tennis and men’s and women’s golf are not affected at this time.
The conference cites “continuing uncertainty” and the “lack of a fall NCAA championship opportunity” as a basis for the decision. On Thursday, NCAA president Mark Emmert announced that all NCAA-sanctioned fall championships have been cancelled.
The MVC will still allow student-athletes to participate in “athletically-related activities” including conditioning and non-conference competition, provided criteria set forth by the universities, NCAA and public health guidelines are met. Additionally, the conference will evaluate the viability of setting up competition for fall sports in the spring of 2021.
The Valley’s decision follows a number of other conference’s postponements or cancellations of fall sports, including the Big Ten and Pac-12.
Friday’s choice supersedes the Valley’s July 28 announcement which postponed in-conference play until Sept. 18 and cancelled all non-conference competition.
This story is developing and will be updated as needed.
