SALT LAKE CITY — Count Snow College football among the list of athletic programs impacted this fall by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Junior College Athletic Association announced Monday it will move the majority of its fall sports to the spring of 2021, including close-contact sports football, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball.
Monday’s decision will impact all three Utah schools — Snow, Salt Lake Community College and USU Eastern — in the NJCAA. All three will have men’s soccer, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball competition moved to the spring, in addition to Snow football.
The NJCAA also announced that winter sports competition will begin in January, with most of the championship seasons moving from March to April. SLCC, Snow and USU Eastern all field men’s and women’s basketball teams. At this time, NJCAA spring sports remain uninterrupted.
With Monday’s news, Snow, the state’s lone JUCO program, becomes the first Utah team that will have its football season moved to the spring because of the coronavirus. It remains to be seen how moving junior college football to the spring will impact recruiting, as Snow typically has several players each year sign national letters of intent with NCAA teams.
The NJCAA will allow cross-country and half marathon championships at all three divisions, as well Division III NJCAA women’s tennis, to proceed during the fall.
“Our greatest focus is and always has been providing the best opportunities for our student-athletes,” Dr. Christopher Parker, NJCAA president and CEO, said in a statement. “Through a unified effort from our Presidential Advisory Council, the Board of Regents, and leadership staff, our most recent plan of action provides a path that keeps our student-athletes competing at the highest level with proper safety measures in place. As we move forward as an association, we will continue to provide opportunities for our student-athletes, coaches, and all those involved with the NJCAA to be safe and successful.”