INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced Wednesday (Jan. 19) updates to its COVID-19 Resocialization of GLVC Competition for Winter Sports, which includes a COVID-19 Testing Protocols Chart and a revised format for the GLVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Tournaments.
After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced updated guidance to its isolation and quarantine recommendations on Dec. 27, the GLVC Athletics Directors (AD), in conjunction with the league’s Athletic Trainers (AT), proposed changes to Conference guidance that were discussed and voted on by the GLVC Council of Presidents (COP). This included changes to the
Resocialization of GLVC Competition for Winter 2022, as well as a new
COVID-19 Testing Protocol chart and the
GLVC Basketball Pillars. The quarantine provisions for Close Contact in the chart will be reviewed again by the COP within 30 days to determine whether to remain status quo or amend the provisions.
The COP voted 9-0 to permit games postponed due to COVID-19 to be made up, the results of which will count in league standings. Previously, the GLVC Basketball Pillars stated that these games would not be made up and would be considered “no contest.” Member schools are now permitted to schedule make-up games in the order of cancelation based on mutual agreement between both institutions. If make-up games are unable to be played, those games will still be considered “no contest.”
The COP also voted unanimously to expand the GLVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Tournaments from an eight-team field to a 15-team format for the 2021-22 season only. A decision on the first-round playing date will be made at the GLVC Winter Meeting on Friday, Jan. 21, in Indianapolis. The quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship games will be played March 3-6 at First Community Arena on the campus of SIU Edwardsville in Edwardsville, Ill. Seeding for the event will still be based on the familiar Point Rating System (PRS), of which the season’s first edition will be released Feb. 5.