The ODAC announced its plans for a return to competition this spring on Tuesday, November 17. Below are specifics about the decisions that were made and answers to some questions you may have.

This page of FAQs will continue to be updated as necessary.

Updated | November 17, 2020

What decisions were made by the ODAC Presidents' Council leading to this announcement?
The ODAC Presidents' Council endorsed two recommendations proposed the ODAC Board of Directors as part of a return to competition plan for spring 2021.

1. to follow the testing recommendations published by the NCAA in its Resocialization of Collegiate Sport: Developing Standards for Practice and Competition, Second Edition
2. to move forward with schedules and championship structures for traditional fall and winter sports in the 2021 spring semester

What was the rationale behind making this decision/announcement now?
ODAC leadership has conducted a considerable amount of work into developing a plan for competition while managing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In announcing its intention to compete this spring now, the conference is providing valuable information to its student-athletes, affording them the chance to make as informed as possible decisions about their collegiate plans for the upcoming semester. The timing of this announcement also allows conference athletic departments to begin their logistical planning -- travel, practices, facility usage, staffing, etc. -- for the upcoming spring season.

What is the NCAA's Resocialization of College Sport: Developing Standards for Practice and Competition, Second Edition?
The NCAA completed an original version of the resocialization of sport document and revised it several times with the most recent version -- the fifth update -- released on November 13. This edition updates and extends guidance provided in the first four resocialization publications considering new and emerging information. This information includes considerations specific to the prevention of community spread of COVID-19 in the athletics setting and examples of recommendations for COVID-19 testing in sports with a high transmission risk, differentiating outdoor from indoor sports. The NCAA is continuing to monitor all information surrounding COVID-19. You can find full details here.

What is the composition of the fall sport schedules that will be used in the spring?
Below are some specifics on the ODAC's intention to compete fall sports this spring. Not all sports have complete scheduling frameworks just yet. Work is still being conducted to finalize formats for those sports. Updates will be made by ODAC leadership as appropriate.

• Cross Country (men/women): cross country does not normally conduct a formal conference schedule. ODAC leadership and the cross country coaches committee are working on a pod-based format for regional competition that would feature at least one competitive opportunity for each team. The conference will not conduct a championship in cross country. The cross country season will likely transition into the distance track & field campaign.
• Field Hockey: modify its existing full round-robin conference schedule -- including the re-introduction of Sweet Briar College for spring 2021 -- and conduct a nine-game season. The schedule will begin on Friday, March 5 and continue thru Friday, April 9; four teams will qualify for the ODAC Tournament, set for Wednesday, April 14 and Saturday, April 17
• Football: begin a spring season on Friday, February 26. A full game schedule has not yet been finalized. The intention is to compete a season in upwards of five games for each team.
• Soccer (women): modify its existing unbalanced schedule from fall 2020 to eight games for use this spring. The season will begin on Sunday, February 21, and continue thru Sunday, April 4. Four teams will qualify for the ODAC Tournament, slated for Thursday, April 8 and Sunday, April 11
• Soccer (men): shift its existing eight-game unbalanced schedule from fall 2020 to spring 2021. The season will begin Sunday, February 21 and continue thru Sunday, April 4. Four teams will qualify for the ODAC Tournament, slated for Thursday, April 8 and Sunday, April 11
• Volleyball (women): conduct a 12-match full round-robin schedule featuring single- and multi-team events. The season will begin on Saturday, March 13 and continue thru Wednesday, April 28. Four teams will qualify for the ODAC Tournament, set for Saturday, May 1

What is the plan for men's and women's basketball?
The men's and women's basketball seasons are slated to begin Saturday, January 23, and conduct 12-game single round-robin campaigns. Each sport will feature a four-team tournament on Thursday, March 4, and Saturday, March 6. In addition to earning the ODAC title, the winner of those tournaments would earn the conference's automatic qualification to their respective NCAA Tournaments.

What are the competition plans for indoor track & field and swimming?
Much like cross country, indoor track & field and swimming do not feature dedicated conference schedules as part of their normal competition formats. Still, ODAC leadership is working with both sets of coaching groups to determine competition opportunities.

• Swimming: the conference and coaches are finalizing a championship structure that would allow for competition over a two or three day period. The championship format will be modified from its normal structure. The proposed timeline for competition is the weekend of March 5.
• Indoor Track & Field: ODAC leadership voted to eliminate the conference's indoor championship this spring on the recommendation of the track & field coaches committee. Teams can still compete indoors as opportunities present themselves. Any indoor action would be part of a larger ODAC season that includes the outdoor track & field campaign. The ODAC intends to conduct its normally scheduled outdoor championship. 

What is the plan for spring sports?
Conference schedules for traditional spring sports -- baseball, equestrian, golf, lacrosse, softball, tennis, outdoor track & field -- have not been altered from their original formats. Their championship structures remain intact as well as NCAA championship qualification opportunities.