INDIANAPOLIS - The NCAA Division II Presidents Council canceled all fall championships for 2020-21 due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the related administrative and financial challenges of hosting the fall championships at any point in the upcoming academic year.  

Among sports sponsored by Colorado School of Mines, the Presidents Council decision impacts the division's fall championships in men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's soccer, and women's volleyball. 

"After reviewing and discussing the Board of Governors' directives, the Division II Presidents Council made the difficult decision that holding fall championships in any capacity was not a viable or fiscally responsible option for Division II," said Sandra Jordan, chancellor of South Carolina Aiken and chair of the Division II Presidents Council. "This decision was discussed very thoroughly, and I assure you, it was not made lightly. It is important to note that fall student-athletes will be given eligibility-related flexibility to allow them championship opportunities in the future. As we move forward, we will continue to focus on providing the best championships experience for our winter and spring student-athletes who were not afforded those opportunities at the beginning of this pandemic." 

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's presidents are scheduled to meet Thursday, Aug. 6 to discuss return to play options. The RMAC had had previously announced a delayed start to fall with conference-only schedules. 

On July 22, the NCAA Division II Administrative Committee approved waivers to allow Division II student-athletes to retain the use of a season of competition if their team completes 50% or less of the sport's maximum contests/dates of competition for the 2020-21 academic year. Additionally, student-athletes who qualify for the season of competition waiver, or whose institutions cancel the sport season entirely, will receive an extension of their 10 semesters/15 quarters of eligibility, provided the student-athlete was otherwise eligible for competition during the 2020-21 academic year. Division II schools and conferences can still choose to play part or all of their regular season in the fall semester if they follow the requirements set forth by the Board of Governors.