NSIC Cancels All Sports Competition Through December 31st

There will be no Bemidji State fall sports this year and through the remainder of the calendar year, as the NSIC announced it has canceled all sports competition through December 31st.

The decision was made by the NSIC board of directors, citing health concerns of COVID-19 as the major factor along with current recommendations for testing, exposure, and quarantine that made it very difficult for a season to be successfully completed.

“The league’s initial decision to delay the start of fall sports was made with the rationale to allow campuses the ability to focus solely on reopening safely for their broader university communities,” said NSIC Commissioner Erin Lind. “In light of the recent decisions made by the NCAA Board of Governors, it is no longer feasible to conduct outside competition this fall semester. Our student-athletes deserve a competitive experience that provides a greater degree of safety and certainty than current conditions would allow. We believe now is the right time to provide clarity to our student-athletes so we can turn our efforts towards helping institutions reopen and ensuring a safe return to campus to start the academic year.”

The NSIC is exploring options to possibly allow fall sports to resume competition in the spring and will continue to monitor the landscape and conditions of the pandemic.

Bemidji State University athletics sponsors football, women’s soccer, volleyball, and women’s cross country in the fall. In winter sports, men’s and women’s basketball, as well as women’s indoor track and field, will have their seasons pushed back. BSU men’s and women’s hockey teams are members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and are not affected by the NSIC’s decision. No decision has been made yet on hockey play in the winter from the WCHA.