A-R-C to Proceed with Conference Competition for Fall 2020

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The governance structure of the American Rivers Conference has met multiple times during the late spring and summer to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 situation and its ramifications for athletics.

Last week the conference's Presidents Council committed once again to proceeding with conference competition, using a reduced schedule in football and single round-robin schedules in other sports. The conference sponsors fall sports in men's and women's cross country, football, women's golf, men's and women's soccer, women's tennis, and volleyball.

Schedules will be announced as soon as the revised drafts pass through the conference's governance groups. The Presidents Council and conference leadership will continue to monitor public health in the region and will adjust the schedules accordingly.

Further, non-conference competition is permitted at the discretion of the conference's nine institutions. Any changes in conference-tournament format will be announced with the revised sports schedules. The conference's underlying philosophy is to provide a meaningful and worthwhile experience for the entire A-R-C athletics community.

The Presidents Council also took action on its COVID-19 guidelines for return to campus, practice, and competition. That document emphasizes local and state guidelines as best practices for the health and safety of A-R-C student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. An "action team" was convened last month to draft the guidelines that were approved by the Presidents Council last week.

The conference will make further announcements as appropriate.