The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) released the 2020-21 Winter Sport schedules on Friday afternoon. Men's and women's basketball are slated to begin on January 23rd while the individual sports of swimming and track & field are also addressed. The schedules, as approved by the ODAC President's Council, are subject to change due to various protocols, institutional decisions, and other factors as they pertain to the COVID-19 pandemic.
January 23rd is the date that the conference has landed on for the beginning of competition for both men's and women's basketball. Roanoke College is scheduled to start the men's basketball season with a home game against their arch rivals from Hampden-Sydney, while the women will start the 2020-21 campaign with a three-game road swing. The basketball regular season will conclude on Saturday, February 27th with a four-team conference tournament taking place March 4-6.
The ODAC and the swim coaches are finalizing a championship structure that would allow for competition over a two or three-day period. The championship format will be modified from its normal structure and the proposed timeline for the event is the weekend of March 5th. For regular season swim schedules, please check back often to see when and where these events will be taking place.
ODAC leadership voted to eliminate the conference's indoor championship this spring on the recommendation of the track & field coaches committee. Roanoke College can still compete indoors as opportunities present themselves and those events will be listed on the website as they become available. Any indoor competition will be a part of a larger ODAC season that includes the outdoor track & field campaign. The ODAC intends to conduct its normally scheduled outdoor championship as, at this time, spring sports schedules have not been altered from their original formats. All ODAC and NCAA championship opportunities also still remain.
As with everything that we have been doing this year at Roanoke College, these schedules are subject to change based on the what is in the best interest of the welfare of our student body and college community at large. Roanoke, the ODAC as well as its member institutions, and the NCAA will continue to monitor the pandemic and with the guidance of local, state, and national health officials make any necessary changes to ensure the health and safety of all of our student-athletes.
