*Last updated Aug. 24, 10 a.m.

The following page is intended to assist member institutions, student-athletes, and fans in understanding the process the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) took to reach decisions regarding 2020 fall sports seasons, as well as the implications these decisions will have on eligibility, scheduling, and the student-athlete experience in 2020-2021. Following extensive deliberations and meetings, the UMAC Council of Presidents voted to modify conference competition and championships for fall sports due to COVID-19 impacts. This page strives to provide answers to frequently asked questions about these conference decisions. It will be updated as new questions arise or additional information is provided by state and national governing bodies.
 
What actions has the UMAC taken in regards to the fall competition season?
The UMAC announced Thursday, July 30, that conference competition for the sports of football, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball will not be conducted in the fall or governed by the UMAC. The UMAC will explore opportunities to provide conference competition and championships/tournaments for fall sports in the spring season. The UMAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors supports institutional autonomy to pursue non-conference competition in the fall. Training, practice, and other athletically-related activities for all teams will be permitted at the discretion of each institution in accordance with NCAA Division III rules and campus, state, and NCAA health directives. The NCAA blanket waiver allows for 114 days of athletics-related activity for each sport this academic year.
 
The UMAC announced Monday, Aug. 24, that conference competition for men’s and women’s cross country and men’s and women’s golf will not be conducted in the fall or governed by the UMAC. This changes a previous decision from July 30 that allowed competition in those sports to continue forward as planned for golf and as planned for cross country provided accommodations and modifications could be made by UMAC institutions and the conference to move all such regular season and conference championship events to low-risk classification per the adjustments outlined by the NCAA Sports Science Institute (SSI).
 
The UMAC will explore opportunities for competition for men’s and women’s cross country in the spring season and for men’s and women’s golf in the spring segment as well, including the pursuit of having the men’s and women’s golf conference championships in the spring to determine the Automatic Qualifier teams for the NCAA Division III Championships held in May. Similar to other fall sports, institutions may compete in non-conference competition in the fall at their own discretion. Training, practice and other athletically-related activities also remain at the discretion of each institution.
 
Additionally, the Councils previously approved allowing men’s and women’s tennis opportunities to conduct conference competition in the fall segment. However, that decision has been reversed in alignment with all other fall sports. Institutions may compete in non-conference competition and pursue other athletically-related activity for men’s and women’s tennis at their own discretion.
 
How were these decisions made?
Conference decisions to modify fall sports structures from a conference perspective were made following several months of discussion and meetings at various levels of UMAC governance. This spring, the UMAC Council of Athletics Directors began meeting on a bi-weekly basis to discuss COVID-19 impacts and begin contingency planning for the fall season. The UMAC Council of Athletics Directors requested conference athletics trainers and sports medicine personnel provide feedback and recommendations to guide initial conversations and help shape the direction of decisions. Institutions engaged with campus administrators, health care professionals, legal counsel, risk managers and coaches to guide campus perspectives. The UMAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors also engaged regularly to review and direct the work being led by the UMAC AD Council. 
 
Additionally, the UMAC consulted with public health experts and utilized the guidance of national health organizations and national sport governing bodies such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Enterprise Institute, the American College Health Association, the National Athletic Training Association’s Intercollegiate Council for Sports Medicine and the NCAA, in particular the Association’s Core Principles for Resocialization of College Sports. The UMAC also worked closely with state and local health departments and officials to develop conference plans regarding safe return-to-play and competition.
 
Following the NCAA Sports Science Institute (SSI) release of the Resocialization of Collegiate Sport on July 16 – which includes additional guidance around testing protocols for medium- and high-risk sports, the UMAC Council of Athletics Directors provided several recommendations to the UMAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors. Given different circumstances for UMAC member institutions and the ever-changing nature of the pandemic, the recommendations present significant challenges for some conference institutions to feasibly secure testing and ensure timely results to safely conduct conference fall competition. The health and safety of student-athletes, athletics personnel, and greater campus communities of members of the UMAC continues to be of utmost importance. These concerns positioned the Council of Presidents and Chancellors to pursue for the conference spring competition for high-risk sports while allowing institutions to determine whether to pursue non-conference competition in the fall. The Council also approved decisions July 16 that would permit competition against conference members only in the sports of golf and cross country which were affirmed in the July 30 announcement.
 
Following the decision of the UMAC Council of Presidents to allow competition to continue forward in men’s and women’s cross country, the conference coaches and administrators began planning to modify various aspects of competition – including the start and finish of races – to reduce the risk level from medium-risk to low-risk. However, following changes to requirements for competition from the NCAA Board of Governors and the recommendation for no fall competition from the NCAA Division III Administrative Council announced Thursday, Aug. 20, the governing councils in the UMAC determined it best to not proceed with cross country conference competition or the conference championships. 
 
Additionally, men’s and women’s golf coaches developed competition protocols to further reduce risk for the upcoming season. However, the changing requirements and guidance from the NCAA Board of Governors and the recommendation for no fall competition announced Aug. 20, influenced the governing councils to reach the same decision for golf as all other fall sports.
 
How are sports determined to be low-, medium- or high-risk?
In accordance with the NCAA’s Core Principles of Resocialization of Collegiate Sports, each NCAA-sponsored sport was classified as low-, medium-, or high-risk for virus transmission based on consensus from the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel and the AMSSM COVID-19 Working Group on the probability and significance of respiratory droplet spread during vigorous exercise when physical distancing and masking are not applied or are not possible.

• Low contact risk: bowling, diving, equestrian, fencing, golf, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, track and field.
• Medium contact risk: acrobatics and tumbling, baseball, beach volleyball, cross country, gymnastics, softball, triathlon.
• High contact risk: basketball, field hockey, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, rowing, rugby, soccer, squash, volleyball, water polo, wrestling.

The current UMAC sport offerings are underlined.  
 
What will it be like to participate on a team this fall in the sports of men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer or volleyball?
The UMAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors’ decision regarding men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball means that all conference competition has been postponed for the fall and the conference will pursue opportunities to provide competition in the spring. Individual UMAC institutions may provide competition opportunities for these sports at their own discretion in the fall, but it will not be directed or governed by the UMAC. Individual return-to-play protocols will be in place at the discretion of each institution to allow for meaningful team experiences for student-athletes which could include for the fall practices, small-group instruction, skill development, strength and conditioning activities and leadership programming.
 
Will there be opportunities for men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball to have competitive seasons in the spring?
The UMAC remains committed as a conference and as individual institutions to build an academic and athletic experience for student-athletes that is as safe and robust as possible. The NCAA recently approved a waiver that allows for flexibility in conducting athletically-related activities outside of the traditionally-defined seasons of competition and instead allows for teams to utilize 114 days for athletically-related activities including competition at any time throughout the academic year. Given this flexibility, the conference will explore opportunities to provide a competitive conference season in the spring which could include contests and championships or tournaments while also ensuring institutions can creatively utilize opportunities to provide athletics experiences for student-athletes in the fall.
 
Considerations that will impact decision-making regarding spring competitive conference opportunities for men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball include any pending changes or current NCAA legislation and relief waivers, development of public health conditions in the upcoming months, and access to timely and reliable testing with frequency recommended by the NCAA. Additionally, it is important to remember that UMAC institutions will continue to look at various resources such as staffing, access to officials, availability of facilities, weather and academic calendars of member institutions as these components will all impact the spring competition segment.
 
Will these decisions affect spring sports in their usual “fall non-traditional season”?
Decisions around non-traditional practices and competition in the fall for spring sports remain as institutional decisions. All sports are now afforded 114 days of athletics-related activity in 2020-2021 academic year and institutions can determine how to structure those days, including during what would normally be the “fall non-traditional segment” for spring sports.
 
When will decisions be made about winter and spring sports competition?
The UMAC decisions announced July 30 specifically apply to fall-sport competition. Decisions about winter and/or spring sport competitions will be made at a later date. The UMAC governance groups will continue to monitor public health guidance and work with local, state and federal health authorities, as well as the NCAA and other national medical and sports organizations in making decisions regarding winter and spring sports.
 
Will practicing affect my NCAA eligibility?
No. For Division III student-athletes, participation in workouts, meetings or practices – without engaging in competition – in their usual fall sports season during the fall semester will not trigger the use of a season of eligibility.
 
Additionally, the NCAA recently issued a blanket waiver that states that Division III student-athletes will not be charged with a season of participation for the 2020-21 season if their team does not complete more than 50 percent of the sport’s maximum contests/dates of competition due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCAA also issued a blanket statement stating that a student-athlete will receive a two-semester extension of eligibility (towards their 10-semester total) if they are unable to participate due to COVID-19 or if their team does not complete more than 50 percent of the of that sport's maximum contests/dates of competition. Visit the NCAA website for the full announcement.
 
Will spring sports be able to participate in countable athletically-related activities in the fall semester?
Division III has provided flexibility in the playing season (114 days) for all sports in 2020-21, so there is no longer a distinction between “traditional” and “non-traditional” seasons. Spring sports will be able to participate in athletics activity that follows all campus protocols and procedures for health and safety.
 
If my team participates in competition in the fall for men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, or volleyball, can it still compete in the spring if conference competition is provided? How will this impact my eligibility?
Fall competition is at the discretion of each UMAC institution.  If UMAC institutions choose to pursue non-conference competition in the fall, any contests participated in by a team or student-athlete will count towards the team and individual’s contest maximums for that sport. If a student-athlete competes in more than 50 percent of their respective sport’s maximum number of contests, they will be charged a season of participation regardless of when the contests take place during the academic year (fall or spring).
 
If a team competes in the fall in non-conference competition, this will not preclude them from still participating in the spring and potential conference competition pending the extent of a team’s non-conference competition and number of contests completed in the fall.  Student-athletes should contact their respective coaches and compliance coordinators regarding team and institutional plans for fall competition and their impact on eligibility should student-athletes choose to participate in those opportunities.
 
What other information should you be aware of in regards to competition in the fall for men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball?
Any intercollegiate competition involving men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball must be approved by institutional leadership and be conducted in accordance with NCAA Division III rules and in consideration of campus, local, state and NCAA health care guidance. Per NCAA Division III bylaws, any contests count against the team’s contest maximums and could impact ability to regain a season of athletic eligibility and extension of academic eligibility as permitted otherwise by established NCAA blanket waivers for 2020-2021.
 
Only student-athletes that are certified as eligible per NCAA and UMAC eligibility standards may participate in intercollegiate competition. Competition in these sports during the fall semester is not sponsored or endorsed/governed by the UMAC and results will not have any bearing on conference standings, records or awards.

Resources
NCAA Resocialization of Collegiate Sport: Developing Standards for Practice and Competition
NCAA COVID-19 Resource Page
NCAA Division III Compliance Page
UMAC COVID-19 Resource Page