NSIC announces winter championships format
1/28/2021 4:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Women's Swim & Dive, Women's Track & Field
BURNSVILLE, MINN. - Playoffs? Playoffs? Yes, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) is talking playoffs.
After opening play for the winter sports earlier this morning, the NSIC has announced its formats for the 2020-21 winter championships, conference commissioner Erin Lind announced Thursday afternoon. This includes formats for women's swimming and diving, men's and women's indoor track and field, and men's and women's basketball.
"Our league is thrilled to be moving forward with our winter championships," Commissioner Lind said in a statement. "We are fortunate to have facilities like the Sanford Pentagon, Myers Field House, and the Hubert Aquatic Center to host these championships, which are all well-seasoned in hosting events during the pandemic."
The first Huskies team to compete in a NSIC Championship will be the women's swim and dive team. The NSIC Women's Swimming and Diving championships will take place February 10-13 at the Hulbert Aquatic Center in West Fargo, North Dakota. Swimming prelims will take place each day at 10 a.m. with finals to follow starting at 5:30 p.m. Diving will take place on Thursday and Saturday with prelims starting at 1 p.m. Finals will occur with the swim events in the evening.
The NSIC will also host its annual Indoor Track and Field Championships and Men's and Women's basketball tournaments. The NSIC Indoor Track and Field Championship will take place February 25-27 at the Myers Field House in Mankato, Minnesota. While the men will compete Thursday and Friday, the women will only compete on Saturday.
The basketball championships will look slightly different than they have in past years, with all three rounds occurring at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The top four teams in each division will compete in the eight-team tournaments from Thursday February 25 to Saturday February 28. Both the men's and women's quarterfinals will take place Thursday and Friday, with the women competing at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and the men following at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Semifinals will take place on Saturday, again the women early and the men late, and both championships will take place Sunday.
The conference additionally announced its fan policy for all winter championships moving forward. At this time, no spectators will be allowed at any NSIC Championships in the winter to mitigate risk for student-athletes, coaches and staff.
"The decision to not allow spectators was difficult, knowing that having family, friends, and fans at NSIC championships is an integral part of the student-athlete experience," commented Lind. "However, given the nature and impact of bringing multiple teams to one championship site during the pandemic, it became a decision that was necessary to provide a safe environment for our student-athletes and coaches."
