ROCK HILL, S.C. – The South Atlantic Conference has approved a measure to delay the start of intercollegiate competition for fall sports until Sept. 26.

The league's president's council approved the delay Friday morning. 

Further, teams will compete in conference-only competition and teams may begin preseason practice, per NCAA bylaws, for these sports during the fall 2020 semester, provided health and safety conditions allow these activities.

This change includes cross country, football, soccer and volleyball. 

"We will continue to work with the South Atlantic Conference and our fellow institutions in order to compete meaningfully during the fall semester while adhering to a resocialization of sport plan that puts student-athlete safety at the forefront of what we do," Carson-Newman Vice President for Athletics Matt Pope said. "We look forward to getting our seasons underway in late September."

Changes to the respective fall sports schedules will be released at a later date as those changes are approved by the schools in the league. 

Fall competition schedules for the spring championship sports of baseball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, softball, and men's and women's tennis may also not begin prior to Sept. 26. In regard to the 2020-2021 winter sports of men's and women's basketball and men's and women's indoor track and field and wrestling, those seasons remain unchanged at this time.

"This was a very difficult decision, but one we feel has the best interest of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and fans in mind," SAC Commissioner Patrick Britz said. "We all understand the desire everyone has to get back out there and play games, but the health and safety of our student-athletes take precedence over playing at this time. It is our responsibility to ensure their safety above all else.  While this does not guarantee our fall sports will be able to compete during their traditional season, a delayed start gives us the best chance to continue to monitor the situation."

The SAC and Carson-Newman will continue to monitor the situation surrounding CoVID-19 and will be prepared to make further changes should the public health crisis require in coordination with the NCAA, federal, state, and local developments.