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POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Pearl River Community College sent out a press release with the latest on NJCAA calendar on athletics.

The National Junior College Athletic Association voted Monday evening to move the majority of competitions to the spring semester following the Board of Regents vote.

The Mississippi Association of Community Colleges released a statement shortly after, however, announcing it abstained from the vote:

“The Region 23 representative to the NJCAA Board of Regents, upon the recommendation of the MACC presidents, voted to abstain from the final vote regarding moving most sports to the spring. While we are very concerned about the health and safety of our student-athletes, personnel, and fans, we believe they are best served by waiting for other conferences and organizations to make a final decision regarding fall sports.”

The NJCAA’s decision would shift all close-contact fall sports — impacting football, soccer and volleyball at Pearl River Community College — to the spring semester. Additionally, basketball would begin in January with a majority of championship seasons pushed from March to April. In the NJCAA’s proposal, all spring sports — baseball and softball — would remain intact with adjusted dates.

“Our greatest focus is and always has been providing the best opportunities for our student-athletes,” NJCAA President & CEO Dr. Christopher Parker said. “Through a unified effort from our Presidential Advisory Council, the Board of Regents, and leadership staff, our most recent plan of action provides a path that keeps our student-athletes competing at the highest level with proper safety measures in place. As we move forward as an association, we will continue to provide opportunities for our student-athletes, coaches, and all those involved with the NJCAA to be safe and successful.”

Specifics pertaining to scrimmages, practices and competition dates can be found at NJCAA.org.

NOTE: Rodeo is not a NJCAA sport and is instead sanctioned by the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. The NIRA is currently planning to move forward with its fall schedule.

For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow them on Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).