COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) has made the very difficult decision to extend the suspension of all sporting and championship events through the Fall of 2020. The announced was made on Thursday afternoon on June 9, 2020. Benedict College supports the SIAC' s decision to ensure the health and safety of our student athletes, coaches and support staff are a top priority. Benedict looks forward to our spring teams returning to campus in 2021. The impacted sports include football, volleyball, and men' and women's cross country.
Benedict College will honor all the scholarships for the student-athletes affected in those sports.
This decision was primarily predicated on the overarching concern shared by all SIAC member institutions regarding the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, students, staff, fans and other campus stakeholders. When the initial decision was made by the SIAC to suspend intercollegiate athletics last spring, the conference harbored a measure of cautious optimism in the hope that meaningful progress would occur in connection with the continued spread of coronavirus.
As of today, and as COVID-19 infections surge throughout the country in general and the southeastern region in particular, it would be difficult to fairly and responsibly conclude that meaningful progress has been made at this time.
"This was a difficult decision, but it was the correct decision at this time," said Benedict College Director of Athletics Willie Washington. "At Benedict, the health, safety and well-being of our students is always our top priority."
The Benedict football team was set to open the season under first-year coach Chennis Berry. The volleyball team, under long-time coach Gwendolyn Rouse, was returning 10 players from last year's squad that went 22-12. The men's and women's cross-country teams, under the direction of coach Frank Hyland, were perennial contenders for the conference championships. Last year's men's team won the SIAC title, while the women were runners-up.
"While I am heartbroken that our young men won't get the opportunity to compete this fall, the health and safety of our student-athletes is of paramount importance," Berry said. "They have spent countless hours training in preparation for the season. I pray that we as a nation can stop the spread of the virus so that we can get back to some normalcy as quickly as possible and our program can continue our mission of chasing A's, B's, Championships and Degrees!"
"As athletes and coaches, we are naturally competitive in nature, but the health and safety of our students, staff and fans is of the utmost importance," said Rouse. "It is in the best interest of the student-athlete for their safety. We will continue to do virtual activities with our team and encourage them to work hard in the classroom."
The SIAC's decision will also impact and delay the start of basketball season. Normally, the basketball season starts in mid-November. No decision on when the basketball season will start has been made yet.
SIAC Council of President Chairman George T. French, Jr., remarked that "the decision to extend the SIAC suspension into the Fall of 2020 was guided by the prevailing data, science as well as current Coronavirus infection trajectories. In light of these very difficult realities, and in the context of the overarching priority of all of my colleague SIAC presidents to protect the health, wellness and safety of all of our students and staff, we are confident that the decision announced today is consistent with those fundamental health and safety priorities."
SIAC Commissioner Gregory Moore added, "The action taken by our conference to suspend fall sports was informed by a core desire on the part of our SIAC member institutions to make every effort to protect and mitigate COVID-19 related health and safety risk exposure to our students, coaches, and staff during this uncertain and unpredictable environment. It is our intention to seek eligibility relief for those student-athletes impacted by this interruption similar to that relief which was accorded to 2020 Spring sport student-athletes whose seasons were interrupted during the early stages of the Covid-19 outbreak.
About the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference:
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes, (Albany State University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous six-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors seven men's and six women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit www.thesiac.com.
