GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – On Friday, July 31, the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) announced that they will be postponing all fall 2020 conference championships to the spring of 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, the WHAC is leaving regular season conference and non-conference play up to each member institution as to what best fits them for the 2020-21 athletics season, as long as those decisions are made following all federal, state, and local health/safety guidelines. 
 
WHAC Commissioner Rob Miller stated, "Over this time period, the WHAC Presidents have truly worked together to understand what each member is confronting and always kept the importance of engaging our student athletes at the highest level of care at the forefront."
 
"The decisions made today are an affirmation to the safety of our student athletes and our campus community. At the same time, we want to provide a great experience through training and competition within the context of the realities that we are facing," said Cornerstone University President Dr. Joe Stowell. "We believe that our plan honors those priorities on behalf of what is best for our community at Cornerstone."
 
Director of Athletics Aaron Sagraves added, "We are fully committed to the WHAC and their decision. We will continue to collaborate with fellow conference schools as we navigate what contests will be played in the fall and what events will be moved to the spring."
 
Outlined below is Cornerstone University's plan by sport for fall 2020 athletics in response to the WHAC release:
 
M/W Soccer & M/W Cross Country
Cornerstone will continue to pursue a fall regular season non-conference and conference schedule for both men's/women's soccer and men's/women's cross country pending agreement from opponent institutions. Some regular season competition may carry over to the spring as each university decision will vary. The WHAC Championships and NAIA National Championships for these sports will take place in the spring of 2021 with those dates being released at a later time. 
 
Women's Volleyball
Due to the strict guidelines in the state of Michigan for indoor activity, Cornerstone has made the decision to move the full slate of women's volleyball to the spring of 2021. Women's volleyball will still be allowed to practice in accordance to the state of Michigan and CDC guidelines, with the intention of playing a full season in the spring of 2021. Head Coach Megan Lenhart and her staff will rework this season's volleyball schedule and release competition dates at a later time.
 
Golf/Tennis
Men's/women's golf and tennis, which are dual season sports, will continue their fall non-conference schedule as initially planned. As normal, the conference season, WHAC Championships, and NAIA National Championships for these sports will take place in the spring of 2021. 
 
Basketball/Bowling/Indoor Track & Field/Cheer
The WHAC Council of Presidents (COP) has not made a decision on winter sport competition at this time. The COP will continue to meet and evaluate winter sports competition on a week-by-week basis and will release guidelines regarding those seasons at a later date. As of right now, the practice and competition schedule for these sports will continue as planned with proper precautions being made in accordance to the latest health and safety guidelines.
 
Men's Volleyball/Baseball/Softball/Outdoor Track & Field
The intention for spring sports are for them to continue their offseason schedule as normal in the fall of 2020. Teams will be allowed to practice and compete in scrimmages with other schools, as long as their actions are congruent with the most recent guidelines pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic.  
 
"Again, we support the WHAC Presidents and Athletic Directors in all of these decisions and I am eager to work with my colleagues to give our student athletes the best experience possible while maintaining their safety as our top priority. We understand that having all 19 of our sports competing in some way in the second semester is going to create some difficulties in scheduling not only for the student athletes but also the coaches and administrative staff. We are going to need to be as flexible as we have ever been and willing to work towards one common goal. Our vision does not change as it will always be to encourage spiritual growth, push for academic excellence and provide opportunity for high athletic achievement and success."
 
NAIA COVID-19 Protocols
In light of this decision, the COP also opted to provide more flexibility in its current testing mandate of requiring a PCR test of all fall student-athletes seven days prior to competition. The types of viral testing, their availability and cost, the turn-around times involved, and the local or regional public stances regarding testing vary greatly across the county. Given this variability and complexity, the NAIA determined it was inappropriate to require a single testing protocol for all its members. Rather, the NAIA strongly recommends that individual conferences and institutions consider very carefully the best way to deploy COVID testing to support the safe return to athletics.
 
For further information on COVID-19 protocols for Cornerstone University athletics, visit https://cugoldeneagles.com/sports/2020/6/18/covid-19-updates.aspx. 
 
Contact: Jesse Campbell | nathan-jesse.campbell@cornerstone.edu | 616-222-1505
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