Balance beam in gymnastics is precarious. College sports have endured the last five months precariously in a balance position between the health of its student-athletes and seeking a level of competition. With intermittent stops and start, the premier top division teams have found a way to compete, albeit not in a complete season in football and basketball.
The Division III teams have been silent during the Fall and early Winter sports.
Many of the Division III conferences and schools are ready to begin competition, even if in a significantly-limited way.
The CCIW (College of Illinois and Wisconsin) will begin men’s and women’s basketball Saturday in front of no fans.
The CCIW Monday released its Fall sports opening dates. Women’s volleyball will begin the week of February 21, followed by football, and women’s and men’s soccer, all of which will begin March 20.
Two of the men’s basketball games in the CCIW will begin Saturday at 2 p.m., North Park at North Central College, and Augustana at Wheaton. The CCIW is an eight-team conference.
Aurora University will begin competition in men’s and women’s basketball Saturday, Jan. 29 in a limited balance. Many games will be back-to-back home games. When the men are playing at home, the women will play the same schools on the road. The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) will play eight games with four schools each on the schedules. The Aurora University men’s basketball team will play at Dominican University in River Forest at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29 and at 5 p.m. Saturday, 30. The rest of the schedule will be Friday/Saturday in starting times of 7 p.m. and 5 p.m.: at Rockford University February 5-6; at home to Benedictine University, February 12-13; at Concordia University in River Forest, February 19-20.
The NAAC conference basketball tournaments for men and women will be March 2, 4, 6, with sites, opponents, and starting times to be determine later.
Aurora University will play four football games, all NACC opponents. In order: at Eureka, 1 p.m. March 20; home to Concordia River Forest, 1 p.m.; at Benedictine, April 3, 1 p.m. and a conference game not announced, April 10.
Most Division III schools will not allow fans, will have significant limitations, or are making final decisions.
Clark Teuscher, sports information director at North Central College in Naperville said only school photographers will be allowed at the basketball games, not media members. He wrote: “Pursuant to CCIW policy and North Central College restrictions on large group gatherings, we are not allowing spectators at sporting events at this time. Additionally, the only photographers we are currently able to allow in the arena are those assigned by one or both of the competing institutions.
“We will make a separate announcement when these restrictions are lifted, or otherwise changed.”
Aurora University has put together a 13-game regular schedule, plus two games in Northern Collegiate Hockey Association League playoffs. The Spartans will open Friday, Jan. 29 against Adrian (Mich) College at 3 p.m. in Geneva at Fox Valley Ice Arena, site of all home games. Other schools will include Trine, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Concordia University Wisconsin, and Lake Forest College.
• Northern Illinois University announced Tuesday that because of members testing positive for COVID-19, postponed games Tuesday and Saturday this week. All men’s basketball program activities will be paused. Subsequent mandatory contact tracing is an additional reason for postponements.