American Rivers Conference Releases Info On Fall Sports In Spring Semester For Nebraska and Iowa Division III Schools

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa–(News Release Sept. 30)–The American Rivers Conference on Wednesday announced scheduling concepts for its fall sports that are moving to the spring semester as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The concepts were approved during a virtual meeting of the conference’s Presidents Council after recommendations from coaches and directors of athletics from the nine conference schools, including Nebraska Wesleyan.

The four sports affected by the fall postponement, which was announced August 11, are football, women’s and men’s soccer, and volleyball.

The safety and well-being of student-athletes remains the primary goal of the A-R-C. The Presidents Council and conference leadership continually monitor state and local guidance on the coronavirus. Adjustments to all athletics schedules are subject to that guidance.

In football, the provisional plan provides for each school to play three conference games with the option to play up to five games if the school so chooses. Additional games can be against either conference or non-conference schools. Based on input from the head football coaches and the directors of athletics, the conference decided there will be no conference champion in football this year. Schools also will have the option of scheduling junior varsity contests against both non-conference and conference opponents.

The women’s and men’s soccer schedules anticipate eight conference games, a full single round-robin, with the option to play more conference or non-conference games if they desire. A conference champion shall be determined by the eight-game schedule and there will not be a conference tournament. Junior varsity games against non-conference and conference opponents are permissible at the institutions’ discretion.

The volleyball schedule has the same concept as soccer with a proposed eight conference games and the option to play more conference or non-conference games at the school’s discretion. The conference championship will go to the single round-robin winner and, like soccer, there will not be a conference tournament. Junior varsity games against non-conference and conference opponents are allowed.

Dates and match-ups for the varsity contests for these four sports will be announced after academic calendars for spring are finalized by the nine institutions.

Development of winter sports schedules is dependent in part on the NCAA’s decision to conduct winter championships. As of now, Division III plans to go forward with those events. Division III canceled fall championships on August 5.

The conference will make further scheduling announcements as appropriate.