Governors State Moving All Fall Sports, Except Cross Country, to 2021 Spring Semester

UNIVERSITY PARK, IL — On July 28, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced it was postponing fall national championships for cross country, soccer and volleyball until the spring. After reviewing that decision and the guidance from state and local health authorities relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governors State University announced today that fall sports competitions for five varsity athletic teams will move to the spring.

The move will result in men's soccer, women's soccer and women's volleyball playing condensed schedules in the spring at a start date to be determined. Men's and women's golf, which saw their spring seasons canceled last March due to COVID, will not play in any fall events as well.

The NAIA decision still allows NAIA conferences to compete in the fall. As a result, the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC)—of which GSU is a member—has decided to conduct championships exclusively for men's and women's cross country this fall. The GSU Emergency Response Team (ERT) has granted approval for Jaguar cross country teams to compete in five meets in preparation for the CCAC Championships, scheduled for November 7. In an ever-changing landscape, cross country participation will be closely monitored and details regarding its season are subject to change.

"The safety and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches, and administrators comes first before anything else," said GSU Director of Athletics Tony Bates. "With that in mind, our department fully supports the decision to move fall sports to the spring. We will honor athletic scholarships for those student-athletes who will not be competing but still training this fall and will continue to provide academic services and support to our student-athletes."

The NAIA has not made any determination regarding winter sports, specifically men's and women's basketball.

For more information, contact Zion Banks, zbanks@govst.edu, 630-842-6427.