The MIAC on Tuesday officially announced postponement of the fall season for football, soccer, cross country and volleyball to the spring amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The MIAC “is working on developing spring schedules for those sports,” and will allow  golf and tennis to compete against conference opponents only, the conference said in a statement. MIAC institutions will have until Aug. 14 to decide whether to participate in the fall golf season and conference championship, the MIAC said.

“We all wanted to find a way to safely resume competition within the conference and against other schools, if at all possible,” the conference said. “Yet, even with all of our plans, we cannot completely control the environment around us. Infection rates of COVID-19 are increasing in many areas at an alarming speed and the risk of community transmission of the virus is too great at this time to allow for a truly safe return to competition this fall.”

The postponed sports are deemed medium- or high-risk for COVID-19 transmission by the NCAA. Golf and tennis are deemed low-risk sports. Training, practice and other activities for all teams will be permitted “in accordance with NCAA Division III rules and campus, state and NCAA health directives,” the MIAC said.

In a statement issued shortly after the MIAC announcement, the St. Thomas athletics department said the university and conference continue to prioritize safety and the health and well being of our student-athletes and broader campus community.

“While disappointing, today’s announcement to move several sports from fall to spring seasons is necessary as we look to keep our campuses open and safe for academics and residential learning.”

In a statement, athletic director Phil Esten assured student-athletes that the department “will share details as they are available.”

“We ask for your patience and cooperation as we turn our focus to safely structuring athletically-related activities, including practices and workouts,” Esten said.

The NCAA’s D-III Management Council approved a proposal last week giving schools and conferences the flexibility to suspend fall sports or postpone them to the spring. The waiver gives 114 days of practice and competition this academic year for all sports.

Under another NCAA waiver, athletes will maintain current eligibility if their team fails to compete in more than half its schedule.

Justin Amaker can be reached at justin.amaker@stthomas.edu