SENATOBIA – In a statement released Monday afternoon, the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) has announced that all championships and the remainder of any spring sports seasons have been officially canceled, due to the continued COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) pandemic.

"In light of the progressive evolvement of the COVID-19 situation, the NJCAA has decided to end all competition for the remainder of the academic year," stated Dr. Christopher Parker, NJCAA President & CEO. "As an association, the NJCAA exhausted all possible avenues to potentially postpone competition for both upcoming basketball championships and spring sport competition. We believe following the recommendations of the CDC is in the best interest of our member colleges and our student-athletes."

Spring competition includes all practices, regular season, postseason, and national championship play.

Regarding eligibility for spring sports, no spring sport student-athlete who was enrolled at a member college in 2020 will be charged a year of participation.

Along with the cancellation of competition, all on and off-campus recruiting for all sports will be halted until April 15 with further evaluation to be assessed at that point in time.

The NJCAA will explore the opportunity to expand allowable Letters of Intent for spring sports for both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years under the recommendation of the NJCAA Eligibility Committee.

The NJCAA will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as more information becomes available.

Meanwhile, Northwest Mississippi Community College President Dr. Michael Heindl released an updated statement requiring only essential personnel report to the college during the week of March 16-20. The full statement can be read at the attached links within this page.

"These decisions were not made lightly," said Northwest Mississippi Community College President Dr. Michael Heindl. "The College is committed to taking all necessary precautions to keep our students, faculty, staff and the community as safe as possible. Our actions are consistent with the recommendations of health officials and in concert with other institutions."

For more information on college planning, health and cleanliness precautions on campus, and updates on classes and events, please visit our COVID-19 webpage at the Northwest website: www.northwestms.edu.

For more information on Coronavirus, please visit the Centers for Disease Control website at www.coronavirus.gov or the Mississippi Department of Health at https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/14,0,420.html.