NORFOLK, Va., – The 2020 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Spring Meetings, the annual gathering of the MEAC’s Presidents and Chancellors, Athletics Directors, Senior Woman Administrators, and Faculty Athletics Representatives, began Tuesday, May 26, and concluded on Friday, May 29. All meetings were conducted virtually.
In an effort to make travel less expensive for member institutions and the conference office, many of the championships will be shifted to a more centralized location for 2020-21 and the number of teams participating will be reduced.
Baseball, bowling, softball, tennis, and volleyball will each see their championship fields decreased to four teams, and each championship will be shortened by a day (reducing a day of travel and lodging for participating institutions).
In addition, the men’s golf championship will go from a three-day event to two days, with 36 holes being played on the first day. The championship field will remain the same.
Indoor and outdoor track & field will each have their respective schedules condensed from three days to two, though the fields will remain the same.
The MEAC Basketball Tournament format has also been changed; first-round games will now be held on campus sites, with games being hosted by the higher seeds. Quarterfinal games through the championship game will be played in Norfolk, Va. at the Scope Arena.
The MEAC also awarded the Academic Performance Rate (APR) and Graduation Success Rate (GSR) awards. North Carolina A&T State was the APR honoree for the second straight year, while South Carolina State was the 2019-20 recipient of the GSR award.
South Carolina State and North Carolina A&T State will both receive a check for $25,000.
The MEAC did not name Talmadge Layman Hill or Mary McLeod Bethune All-Sports Award winners for 2019-20 due to the suspension of winter championships and spring sports because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ohio State Director of Athletics Gene Smith spoke to the MEAC’s ADs during their meeting about the effects of the COVID-19 on intercollegiate athletics. Greg Sankey, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), spoke to the presidents and chancellors, along with the NCAA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brian Hainline about COVID-19 and the resocialization of student-athletes.
The MEAC will hold its next event on Friday, July 31 with the 2020 MEAC Football Media Day. The event will be held virtually over Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Courtesy: MEAC
