SEC Announces New Start Dates, Formats for Fall Seasons

The Southeastern Conference has established new start dates and formats for the SEC cross country, soccer and volleyball seasons as well as the fall golf and tennis seasons, as the 14 members of the SEC continue to monitor developments related to COVID-19, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced Thursday.

The 2020 SEC men’s and women’s cross-country season will consist of a minimum of two and a maximum of three competitions prior to the SEC Championship in Baton Rouge on October 30.  The season will take place between September 11 and October 23 and may include competition against non-conference opponents provided those schools adhere to SEC COVID-19 testing protocols.  
 
The 2020 SEC soccer season will consist of an eight-match, Conference-only regular season over eight weeks of competition beginning September 18, followed by the SEC Championship, November 13-22, in Orange Beach, Alabama.  All 14 schools will compete in the SEC Championship with each team guaranteed at least two matches.

“We are all excited to hear the news and to have some certainty,” South Carolina women’s soccer head coach Shelley Smith said. “We have been preparing to play and to now know the work we have been putting in will be able to be tested is great. We are looking forward to getting on the field and playing against our conference opponents.”
 
The 2020 SEC volleyball season will consist of an eight-match, Conference-only schedule over six weeks of competition beginning October 16 with each school competing against four opponents twice in the same weekend on back-to-back days.  
 
“Our top priority remains to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for our student-athletes,” South Carolina volleyball head coach Tom Mendoza said. “We want our team to be in the best place mentally and physically, and that will be our focus now as we prepare for this format. I credit our team’s resiliency through this process, they have been training at a high level and will be excited to compete whenever the time comes.”

SEC soccer and volleyball teams will participate in spring competition as well, with details of formats contingent on final decisions by the NCAA to conduct spring championships in those sports.
 
For the 2020 fall segment of the men’s and women’s golf and men’s and women’s tennis seasons, SEC teams may compete in up to three team events beginning no earlier than October 1.  SEC golf and tennis teams will be limited to events involving only SEC members or non-conference teams from the geographic region of the SEC school.
 
The SEC had previously announced in July that the sports of cross country, soccer and volleyball would be postponed through at least August 31.  
 
In addition, fall practice activities and intra-squad games are permitted in the sports of baseball and softball, but exhibition games against outside competition is prohibited in the 2020 fall semester.
 
The SEC announced in July that student-athletes in all sports who elect to not participate in intercollegiate athletics during the fall 2020 academic semester because of health and/or safety concerns related to COVID-19 will continue to have their scholarships honored by their university and will remain in good standing with their team.
 
The SEC’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force continues to meet on policies and procedures for the safe return of student-athletes to competition, building on the NCAA’s Resocialization of College Sports Guidelines.

More detailed information on South Carolina schedules, policies related to ticketing at home events and operational changes at venues due to COVID-19 will be posted as it becomes available at GamecocksOnline.com.
 
CROSS COUNTRY

• Season runs September 11-October 23 
• Seven (7) weeks of competition
• Compete in a minimum two (2) events (maximum of three) prior to SEC Championships
• No restrictions on opponents; must adhere to SEC Testing protocol the week leading into competition
• No more than 10 teams may compete in a single race
• Schools may not compete in consecutive weeks

 
WOMEN’S SOCCER

• Season runs weekend of September 18-November 8 (eight total weeks)
• Eight (8) regular season matches plus at least two (2) matches at the SEC Tournament
• Regular season includes six (6) divisional opponents and two (2) crossover opponents (4 home/4 away)
• One (1) match per week – play dates will be either Friday, Saturday or Sunday based on campus activities & television.
• Matches may move to Thursday on the fifth weekend of the season for make-up dates.
• 14-team Conference Tournament – Nov. 13-22; each team guaranteed at least two (2) matches

 
VOLLEYBALL

• Season runs weekend of October 16-November 27
• Six (6) weeks of competition
• Compete against four (4) opponents; same opponent twice in the same weekend
• Eight (8) total matches

 
GOLF AND TENNIS

• Teams may compete in up to three team events
• Competition can take place no earlier than October 1
• Teams are limited to events involving only SEC members or non-conference teams from the school’s geographic region