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NCAA approves plan for fall championships to be held in the spring

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors have officially approved a plan for all of the canceled fall championships to now be held throughout the spring in conjunction with the spring championships
Ryan Kostecka|
NCAA approves plan for fall championships to be held in the spring
NCAA approves plan for fall championships to be held in the spring

August 13 was a sad day in the world of college sports because it was announced that there would be no NCAA sanctioned championships in the fall — thus cancelling the fall sports seasons for good.

Although the decision at the time proved to be the correct one, it didn't make it any easier for Utah coaches and players to accept the news.

Beth Launiere, Utah's volleyball coach, also took to Twitter to release a statement on behalf of the program. She expressed disappointment at the decision but reiterated how important the safety and health of her players were.

Women's soccer coach Rich Manning expressed admiration for the Utah athletic department for keeping the players and coach safe during this trying time and can't wait to get back out on the field.

Utah track and field/cross country Kyle Kepler was also disappointed in the news but said that his team will continue to train and practice for whatever comes next for the Utes.

Finally, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham released a statement following the breaking news...

“We’ve known for some time that this was a possibility, however, it is still disappointing news for our program, our fans and especially for our student-athletes,” Whittingham said. “We respect the guidance of the Pac-12 Medical Advisory Committee and the decision made today by the Pac-12 CEO group, and we will continue to put our focus on our player’s academics and their development. Our No. 1 priority is always the well-being of our players, and their health and safety come first.”

However, all is not lost for the fall sports athletes in college sports. 

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors have officially approved a plan for all of the canceled fall championships to now be held throughout the spring in conjunction with the spring championships.

The plan to play the fall sports championships in the spring was developed by the Division I Competition Oversight Committee in correspondence with the other sport committees.

“The plan sent to us by the Division I Council provides the maximum number of opportunities to fall student-athletes to participate in NCAA championships while still being fiscally responsible,” said acting board chair Denise Trauth, president at Texas State. “We look forward to the spring, understanding things will look a little different but knowing the competitions will be just as meaningful as in normal circumstances.”

With college football already set to play — or already playing for some conferences — this is a big step forward into allowing the other college athletes the chance to compete and win titles.

"I’ve been talking to all the commissioners in Division I, and there are ways to do this. I’m completely confident that we can figure this out. If schools and conferences want to move forward, let’s do it," NCAA president Mark Emmert said back in August. "We can use the fall to keep kids healthy, keep them engaged with their coaches and their athletic departments, focus on their academic success, and let them practice and stay ready to play. Then let’s go compete at that time.”

Although the fall championships will be taking place in the spring, the respective NCAA championships from both the winter and spring will still take precedent, especially since they were all canceled last March.

“We have to give highest priority to the winter and spring sports, because they lost their championships last March. We made that horrible, awful but necessary choice to shut down," Emmert said. "...But then, when we look at it, if we modify the model, which we need to do anyway because of the virus, if we shrink the bracket sizes and do everything in predetermined sites instead of running kids around the country—move to bubble or semi-bubble models—there’s a way to do it. Will it be normal? Of course not…but is it doable? Yeah.”

The spring time will be ruled by college sports with more than a dozen national championships being decided over a three-month span from March to May.

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