MAC ON SPORTS: CCIW WILL PLAY WINTER SPORTS
J. Thomas McNamara
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) announced this afternoon (Thursday, Jan. 7) its winter 2021 competition schedules in the sports of men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, women’s bowling and wrestling.
Men’s & women’s basketball are slated to begin a CCIW-only schedule on Saturday, January 23. All other winter sports will also compete in a CCIW-only schedule, with women’s bowling, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and wrestling slated to begin on January 23, followed by men’s and women’s indoor track and field on Saturday, January 30.
Due to state and local restrictions, as well as campus visitor policies, no spectators will be allowed at any competition at this time.
Men’s & women’s basketball are slated to begin a CCIW-only schedule on Saturday, January 23. All other winter sports will also compete in a CCIW-only schedule, with women’s bowling, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and wrestling slated to begin on January 23, followed by men’s and women’s indoor track and field on Saturday, January 30.
Due to state and local restrictions, as well as campus visitor policies, no spectators will be allowed at any competition at this time.
Additionally, CCIW fall sports schedules, including football, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball, will be announced next week, with competition slated to begin in late February for women’s volleyball and March for football and men’s & women’s soccer. A spring cross country meet is still TBD.
Campus and conference officials will continue to monitor federal, state, local and campus conditions and testing availability and will make changes as necessary.
Millikin will open the men’s and women’s basketball season on Saturday, January 23 at 2 p.m. against Carthage College. The Big Blue women will host Carthage while the Millikin men will travel to Kenosha. The two schools will meet again on Monday, January 25 at 7 p.m. with the Big Blue men hosting Carthage in the Griswold Center and the Millikin women making the trip to Wisconsin.
The Millikin wrestling team will open competition on Sunday, January 24 hosting Augustana College, Elmhurst University and North Central College. Men’s and women’s swimming will open at Carroll University on January 23. The Big Blue men’s and women’s track and field teams will open their season on January 30 at Illinois Wesleyan University.
No spectators will be allowed at any of the Millikin’s home or road athletic events. Millikin will provide complete coverage of all Big Blue athletic teams on its website at athletics.millikin.edu. Millikin will provide Live Video Stream and Live Stats of all home men’s and women’s basketball games. Live Video Streaming will be available for the home wrestling meet as well. Links for the broadcasts will be available on the home page of the Millikin Athletics website.
Neuhoff Media of Decatur will provide live play-by-play coverage of the home Millikin men’s and women’s basketball games. The games can be heard on the radio on Fox Sports 1050AM Decatur or online at https://nowdecatur.com/player/?playerID=2329. Silver Dome winner Aric Lee will return to the mic for the Big Blue broadcasts.
I will have more on this story in a future print edition of the Decatur Tribune. At least there will be some basketball played in Decatur even though no one will be allowed to watch the men’s and women’s Big Blue teams in action unless Gov. J.B. Pritzker relaxes the guidelines.
