Mid-American Conference postpones fall sports

​To protect the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches, fans and others as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the nation, the Mid-American Conference today announced the decision to postpone fall sports. The conference will begin planning opportunities for fall sports competition to take place this spring.

The decision comes after a meeting of the MAC Council of Presidents earlier today.

"As a member of the MAC Council of Presidents, I can tell you this was a difficult choice and one that we did not take lightly, understanding the repercussions for our student-athletes and so many others in our university community," CMU President Bob Davies said. "It was a tough call, but our health and medical experts made it clear that this was the only appropriate path forward as we continue to prioritize the health and safety of CMU."  

Unlike classroom, residence hall and campus settings, the field of competition rarely allows for safe social distancing and may complicate the use of masks or face coverings. University leaders postponed the season in an effort to reduce the likelihood of virus transmission among student-athletes, coaches, fans and others. Fall sports impacted by the conference's decision are football, volleyball, women's soccer, field hockey, men's and women's cross country.

In a statement, Michael Alford, CMU's Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics addressed support for Central's student-athletes.

"We will continue to work with national and conference leadership as we begin planning for fall sports opportunities to take place this spring," Alford said. "We are committed to ensuring they have a successful academic year and remain on track for one of their, and our, primary goals – graduating from Central Michigan University."