Champions Club 8/21/2020 2:00:00 PM

OCU athletics announces return to competition protocols

Stars respond to current pandemic

Greetings to the Oklahoma City University community.

We'd like to share some plans for this fall's athletic seasons and competitions as it relates to the pandemic. While these plans may change depending on situational factors and evolving best practices, here is what we know as of now:

• There will be no team practices during the first two weeks of the semester. Activities will be limited to three student-athletes at a time under coach supervision. The Knight athletic weight facility will remain closed for the time being.

• Student-athletes, coaches and athletic staff are doing daily health assessments and are tracking their conditions through an app that is monitored by our athletic training staff. This includes a daily temperature reading and a symptoms response questionnaire. Sanitization protocols are in place along with continual reminders for student-athletes to wear masks and regularly wash their hands.

• The NAIA has moved national championship competitions for fall sports (cross country, soccer, volleyball) to the spring.

• The athletic department is working on a plan that may allow for a limited number of spectators to attend fall competitions while practicing social distancing. It's possible no spectators will be allowed, but if they are, all competitions will be held in accordance with guidelines set by the university's emergency operations committee. More details will be released closer to the start of the competition seasons.

• Competitions are subject to change based on health trends in communities and campuses.

Fall competition schedules are as follows:

• Men's and women's basketball – A limited number of games will be played in November.

• Men's and women's cross country – Planning on two meets in the fall.

• Men's and women's golf – Schedule begins in September, and the teams will not compete outside of the state.

• Volleyball and men's and women's soccer – A limited number of matches are scheduled from October to mid-November against conference opponents only counting as non-conference contests per league guidance. Conference opponents are also monitoring health symptoms daily.

All of our current schedules are subject to change. We will do our best to keep you updated on changes as the seasons progress. Thank you for your continuous support of our Stars student-athletes.

Jim Abbott Signature

Print Friendly Version