CIAA cancels tournaments
In a decision not surprising to most, the CIAA voted to cancel its women's and men's basketball seasons, and the volleyball season. That means no CIAA Tournament, the biggest moneymaker for the conference.
"Unfortunately, COVID-19 continues to challenge the conference's ability to see a clear path to move forward collectively. The impact to health and wellness, community concerns, as well as the economic ramifications are real,” said CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams. “I want to commend our Board of Directors for exemplifying courageous leadership in college sports to ensure the well-being of the CIAA as well as the health and safety of our student-athletes and communities.”
“This was not an easy decision or one that was taken lightly by the CIAA Board,” said Virginia State President and CIAA Board Chair Makola Abdullah. “We all want to have a season, and we want our student-athletes, coaches and staff to have a season. However, the data, which changes almost daily, does not support such a decision. The potential risk outweighs the desire to play.”
The conference stated that it plans to engage alumni, students and fans during what would have been tournament week through a virtual experience, with the traditional Fan Fest and step show.
A decision on the real spring sports season will be made at a later date.
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