Sooner Athletic Conference presidents met via video conference Thursday afternoon and affirmed a plan to proceed with practices and intercollegiate competition this fall, the conference office announced.
The group agreed to implement the following changes for the upcoming 2020 fall sports season:
• Cross Country – Presidents authorized maintaining Saturday, Nov. 7, as date of the SAC championships meet, with a final determination to come after athletic directors and head coaches have weighed alternate options. The SAC does not provide a cross country schedule beyond the conference meet.
• Soccer – Presidents authorized the building of a new schedule, providing SAC programs five matches in the fall before playing a nine-game, single round-robin schedule in the spring. The games scheduled for this fall will not count towards league standings, leaving the nine spring games to determine the regular season champion and tournament seeding. The conference-scheduled fall matches will begin no earlier than Thursday, Oct. 15. Playing dates for the spring schedule will be determined after NAIA championship dates become known.
• Volleyball – Presidents authorized the building of a new schedule, providing SAC program's five matches in the fall before playing a 10-game, single round-robin schedule in the spring. The games scheduled for this fall will not count towards league standings, leaving the nine spring games to determine the regular season champion and tournament seeding. The conference-scheduled fall matches will begin no earlier than Thursday, Oct. 15. Playing dates for the spring schedule will be determined after NAIA championship dates become known.
This action follows recent decisions by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Council of Presidents (COP) to postpone fall national championships to the spring semester.
By Aug. 21, the NAIA intends to provide details of qualifying and championship dates in football, volleyball, soccer and cross country, which will allow the Sooner Athletic Conference to complete spring schedules and conference tournament plans.
SAC teams will be subject to NAIA guidance as far as conducting practice and non-conference competition. Current guidance permits NAIA teams to begin practice on Aug. 15. Winter sports, such as basketball, are still pending until further guidance is offered.