The Patriot League this week announced plans to hold the fall and spring sports seasons simultaneously during this year's spring semester.
The league cancelled the 2020 fall sports season due to COVID-19 concerns.
On Thursday, the Patriot League outlined on its website plans to schedule baseball, field hockey, football, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, and volleyball in the spring.
"League play will be contingent on the League and its member institutions being able to conduct competitions in ways that protect the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches, staff members and their communities," the Patriot League's announcement said.
In addition to the nine sport spring schedules, the Patriot League has plans to host championships for men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's outdoor track and field, women's rowing, men's and women's swimming and diving and men's and women's tennis.
Competitive opportunities will also be available for men's and women's indoor track and field, the league said.
Scheduling for field hockey, football, men's and women's soccer and volleyball will be limited to league-only contests, the Patriot League said. Non-League scheduling for baseball, men's and women's lacrosse and softball can proceed per institutional discretion.
"League institutions are responsible for setting regular-season schedules for cross country, golf, rowing, swimming and diving and indoor and outdoor track and field," the Patriot League said. "Opponents must follow comparable health and safety protocols."
The 2020-21 schedule format features a significant reduction in travel and overnight stays, the league said. No teams will be permitted to fly to games. In addition, the league said, instead of the league's traditional formats, teams will play an increased number of games against league opponents in closer geographic proximity.
The Patriot League office will announce detailed schedules at a later date, the league said.
The Patriot League consists of member schools American University, Boston University, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, Loyola University and the U.S. Military and Naval academies, along with associate members Fordham, Georgetown, MIT, and the University of Richmond.
