The Mid-American Conference (MAC) has postponed its fall sports season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The decision was announced in a conference-wide press release Saturday morning after a unanimous vote by the Council of Presidents.
“There are simply too many unknowns for us to put our student-athletes in situations that are not clearly understood,” MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said in a press conference earlier today.
The sports affected by the postponement are men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball. According to the press release, the conference is formalizing potential plans for these sports to play in the spring of 2021.
For Miami, this includes a few marquee programs, as its football and field hockey teams were both MAC champions in 2019 en route to earning postseason berths.
With the decision, the MAC becomes the first FBS conference to postpone its football season.
The RedHawks, coming off their first MAC Championship in nine years, were poised to have another strong season. The team returned MAC Freshman of the Year quarterback Brett Gabbert as well as a lot of big playmakers at skill positions. Although the ’Hawks lost a few defensive stalwarts, the team still retained its three leading tacklers from last season.
During the press conference, Steinbrecher spoke with a somber tone.
“This is simply a miserable decision,” he said.
A spring schedule for these sports has not been announced yet. No decisions have been made regarding winter sports.
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