August 10th, Mid-South Conference Commissioner Eric Ward announced today the postponement of fall sports to spring 2021 due to concerns surrounding COVID-19. The sports affected include men and women’s cross country, men and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball.
“We are very sad that our season is being moved to the spring. We have 10 seniors and we’ve been eager to play after being off for 5 months. However, the safety of my team and staff is more important and I trust our Athletic Director and President thinks about our athletes first when making these decisions,” said Bethel Head Women’s Coach, Misty Aird.
Conference regular season and tournament dates will be announced following the NAIA’s release of national championships dates. While the conference schedule is adjusted, institutions are given the autonomy to play non-conference games this fall. In football, each of the three divisions will independently determine conference play. With the football
footprint spanning over seven states, each division’s administrative council was given the authority to make the decision on fall play based on state and federal regulations within its geographical area. An announcement on the football schedule will come later this week once all three divisions’ leaderships have met.
Bethel Associate Athletic Director Brad Chappell addressed the announcement.“We all want to play sports like normal but we also are forced to consider the well being of all involved. In that regard I am confident that we have a plan in place that will give us the best opportunity to compete safely.”
