Since the spring, the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) COVID-19 Advisory, Health and Safety and Competition Committees have been diligently putting plans in place to return to competition in a safe manner and in alignment with the NCAA Resocialization of Sport Guidelines.
Despite all of their efforts and countless hours of work, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present challenges for our institutions and communities. Therefore, with deep regret, the CCIW Council of Presidents (COP) voted unanimously to postpone all fall conference competition and championships. The highest priority at each institution is the health and wellbeing of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators and campus communities and intercollegiate athletics continues to pose a significant increased risk.
Although the DIII Management Council has recommended to the NCAA Board of Governors that they cancel all DIII Fall Championships, the CCIW COP has charged the conference staff with exploring competition opportunities for cross country, football, soccer and volleyball in the spring, while maintaining conference competition for all spring sports including golf and tennis. A decision on a start date for winter sports has not yet been made.
All CCIW members are committed to in-person learning on their campuses this fall and if health and safety guidelines allow, will look to provide skill development and conditioning opportunities for all student-athletes on campus. Additionally, the CCIW Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will be called upon to engage student-athletes in leadership and professional development programming on their campuses.
“This decision was a very difficult one, both for the CCIW conference and for Illinois Wesleyan,” President S. Georgia Nugent said. “We recognize how disappointing it will be for our student athletes not to have conference competition this fall. But we must put safety first, and the CCIW presidents, after many hours of deliberation, believe this is the right decision, in light of the heightened risk that travel and competition present.”
“I am confident that our coaches and trainers will be thoughtful and creative in developing ways for our student athletes to remain engaged, conditioned, and ready to compete when that is possible,” she added. “I especially want to thank our Director of Athletics, Mike Wagner, for his important contributions to planning, through his participation on the Fall Contingency Planning Committee and COVID Athletics Action Committee on campus, as well as representing Illinois Wesleyan on the Health and Safety Committee of CCIW.”
“We worked very hard all summer at both the conference and institutional level to develop several scenarios that would allow us to return safely to full athletic competition,” Athletic Director Mike Wagner shared. “However, one of the primary assumptions was that the spread of the virus and the number of active cases would be very low at the end of the summer months. Instead, a significant portion of the country is dealing with increases in both cases and hospitalizations. We will take this time to strengthen the mind and body, build leadership skills, hone individual skill development and enjoy team building exercises. We have an incredible staff and coaches who will do everything in their power to ensure our student-athletes will be able to enjoy unique and fulfilling experiences with their teammates in a way that will be safe and healthy for all involved.”
Despite the CCIW conference-wide decision, IWU is exploring different ways of providing its student-athletes with meaningful opportunities to engage with their teammates, coaches, and support staff. Collectively, our coaches are working hard to find ways to provide skill development, conditioning, and other athletically-related activities for all teams in their traditional or non-traditional seasons will be permitted in accordance with NCAA Division III rules and campus, state, and NCAA health directives.
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), Carroll University (Waukesha, WI), Carthage College (Kenosha, WI), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, IL), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, IL), Millikin University (Decatur, IL), North Central College (Naperville, IL), North Park University (Chicago, IL) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL).
