Links:  CAA release  |  2020-21 CAA Championships:  Schedule  |  Brackets

RICHMOND, Va. – Releasing its 2020-21 championships schedule on Tuesday, the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) has announced its decision to allow every team in every sport the opportunity to compete in their respective conference tournament after assessing concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tuesday's decision follows the conference's review of several factors pertaining to the resumption of collegiate athletics during the 2020-21 season, notably the curtailment of many regular season schedules. As stated by the league's administrators, "it was important to give all student-athletes the experience of competing for a CAA championship with the chance to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament."
 
"I commend the conference's athletic administrators and conference staff for their forward thinking and open-mindedness as we continue to navigate through a period of great unknown associated with the 2020-21 academic year," said CAA Commissioner Joe D'Antonio. "This championship model directly coincides with the Extreme Flexibility Model (EFM) that the conference established for 2020-21 regular season competitions and provides each student-athlete with an opportunity to work toward the goal of being a CAA champion."
 
Student-athlete health and safety, limiting travel and missed class time and controlling costs were cited by the league as the leading factors that determined its 2020-21 championship schedule.
 
For men's and women's soccer, conference fields will be divided into regional brackets for the opening and quarterfinal rounds before tournament venues shift to a more geographically central location. Championship events for baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, field hockey, women's rowing, women's swimming and diving and volleyball will take place at one venue.
 
Conference seeding will be determined by a committee of athletics administrators through the review of several metrics, including a postseason poll of the conference's head coaches. Should all teams within a sport complete a true conference schedule, conference standings would then determine seeding.
 
All CAA championship dates and schedules are subject to change due to the fluid nature of events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. All decisions pertaining to these championship events will be made in accordance with federal, state and local health guidelines, as well as in consultation with policies put in place on each individual campus.
  
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