The Midwest Conference has canceled all competition as the COVID-19 pandemic carries into the 2020-21 winter sports seasons.
The NCAA Division III conference’s Presidents’ Council announced Thursday that, “it would not sponsor league competition, including championships, for fall and winter sports during the 2020-2021 academic year. The decision was unanimous and covers men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, and volleyball.”
“While we are disappointed that our fall and winter student athletes won’t be able to compete in the traditional Midwest Conference schedule, the health and safety of our campuses remains the top priority of our institutions,” said Zach Messitte, Ripon College president and chair of the MWC Presidents’ Council. “We are hopeful that individual teams will continue to practice and, if appropriate, perhaps compete in some limited capacity in the months ahead.”
The Midwest Conference, which is based in Grinnell, Iowa, said that it’s still working toward holding a spring season for baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field.
In the meantime, fall and winter sports teams can hold training, skill development, and strength and conditioning sessions. The Presidents’ Council also “endorsed the concept of institutional autonomy with regard to scrimmages and/or competition.”
The Midwest Conference consists of Beloit College, Cornell College, Grinnell College, Illinois College, Knox College, Lake Forest College, Lawrence University, Monmouth College, Ripon College and St. Norbert College.
