Waterville, ME – The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Presidents' Council today announced plans to return to conference competition this spring, which will allow SUNY Canton's four spring sports the opportunity to compete for conference championships.
 
Previously planned spring sport conference schedules were replaced by updated models designed to minimize risk of exposure to COVID-19 while maximizing the experience for student athletes. Members will follow NCAA guidelines for the safe return to collegiate athletics, as well as directives from all federal, state, and local health authorities. Each campus will also determine specific protocols unique to their campus based on local circumstances, including whether fans will be permitted.
 
Administrators continue to keep a close eye on the pandemic and reserve the right to expand or retract schedules if appropriate. Individual member schools or teams may opt out of competing at any time.
 
We are excited for our spring sports teams as the NAC moves forward with spring sports conference competition," Dr. Zvi Szafran said. "We will continue to remain cautious and everything we do will have the safety of our student-athletes, staff, campus and greater community in mind. The NAC's Presidents and Athletic Directors have put together extensive plans that aim to keep everyone as safe as possible, but continue to let our student-athletes enjoy the sports they love and have worked so hard to play."
 
Baseball, softball, men's lacrosse, and women's lacrosse teams will face only one conference opponent per week, and in some cases may play multiple contests between the same two teams during the course of a week.  To limit the amount of cross-state travel, all regular season conference contests will remain in-division. For baseball, softball, and men's lacrosse, the conference postseason will have two rounds. The semifinal round will pit the top-two teams per division against one another, followed by the East and West champions playing for the conference title and automatic qualifier bid (AQ) to respective NCAA championship tournaments. Because women's lacrosse has fewer participating teams, the top teams from the East and West will bypass the divisional round and go directly to the championship game.
 
Men's golf and women's tennis conference championships are typically contested in the fall, but are planned to line up with spring NCAA championships this year.
 
Men's golf teams will compete in divisional 18-hole tournaments on April 24, 2021. Teams in the East division will compete at the Waterville Country Club (Waterville, Maine), while teams in the West division compete at The College Golf Course at SUNY Delhi (Delhi, N.Y.). East and West tournament winners will play 18-holes head-to-head at The Orchards Golf Course in South Hadley, Mass. on Friday, April 30, 2021, with the winner earning the conference AQ.
 
"While this has been a difficult year for our student-athletes, staff, and the country as whole, we are grateful that our teams will be able to return to competition this spring," Athletic Director Randy Sieminski said. "I would like to thank President Szafran, and the other NAC Presidents and Athletic Directors for their meticulous work in creating these plans to help our students return to their respective playing surfaces safely."
 
Other SUNY Canton and NAC sports will not have formal conference schedules or championships, though individual teams may compete at the school's discretion.
 
Complete schedules and championship information will be posted on the conference and member institution social media channels and websites as they are finalized.
 
Athletic administrators will reassess plans two weeks prior to the start of seasons or events to determine if adjustments are needed. All plans remain contingent on federal, state, and local health guidance, as well as state college system and institutional realities. The health, safety, and welfare of student athletes, coaches, and entire college communities remain a priority as the NAC returns to competitive sports.
 
"I want to thank the athletics administrators, vice presidents and presidents for their thoughtful approach to finding a good balance between legitimate conference competition and health and safety," said Commissioner Marcella Zalot. "We are still in a global pandemic but we have learned a lot along the way. We stand ready to adjust as needed but remain hopeful the perseverance and resiliency of all, especially our student athletes, are rewarded and we are able to end the academic year on a strong and positive note with NAC competition."
   

About SUNY Canton
SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in digital design, engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. As SUNY's leader in online education, SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 21 online degree programs. The college placed first in 14 categories in a SUNY-Wide Student Opinion Survey, most notably in career services, tutoring, library resources, and classroom facilities. The college's 15 traditional athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level as part of the North Atlantic Conference. SUNY Canton also features varsity eSports and cheerleading. For more information, visit www.canton.edu.