BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Presidents' Council has voted to approve plans for a return to competitive athletics this winter. While teams are permitted to participate in regular-season competition, the MIAC will not host winter-sport playoffs nor conference postseason championship meets. Participation in NCAA championship competition will be permitted for qualifying teams and individuals.

Spectators will not be allowed at MIAC contests during the winter season. Fans will have the opportunity to watch all home events on the BU Royal Network which can be accessed by clicking here.

Basketball and hockey programs can kick off their season on January 29 where they will have the opportunity to schedule up to four non-conference contests that will be announced at a later date. A seven-game conference schedule beginning on Saturday, Feb. 6 will feature a single round-robin format where each team will play every other participating team once. The team achieving the best winning percentage while completing at least 51 percent of the schedule claims the MIAC championship and automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.

The MIAC will not host basketball or hockey playoffs in 2021. A full MIAC schedule for basketball and hockey can be found here.

MIAC regular season basketball games will be played at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Midweek and Saturday MIAC hockey contests are slated for 7 p.m., pending facility availability. Times and dates are subject to change.

Indoor track and field will be able to participate in regular season meets at the discretion of each institution. Due to safety and logistical concerns, the typical postseason conference championship meet will not be held. A schedule for the Royals track and field squad will be announced at a later date.

Per the NCAA Division III blanket waiver issued last October, student-athletes may compete up to the established dates of competition maximums without being charged a season of intercollegiate participation during the 2020-21 academic year. All MIAC programs in the competition segment will follow the safety guidelines recommended by the NCAA Medical Advisory Board and Minnesota Department of Health. The complete MIAC COVID-19 Competition - which includes specific details regarding resocialization, conference protocols, and competition expectations - can be found here.
 
Planning continues for fall- and spring-sport competition and updated information will be provided as it becomes finalized.