Covenant College has elected to forfeit the Women’s Tennis USA South Conference championship match, scheduled for April 17, 2016. The championship match takes place on a Sunday, and as an institution owned and operated by the Presbyterian Church in America we observe the Sabbath by not competing in athletic events on Sunday.

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C., Apr 17, 2016 – Below is a statement from Covenant College director of athletics Kyle Taylor:

“Covenant College has elected to forfeit the Women’s Tennis USA South Conference championship match, scheduled for April 17, 2016. The championship match takes place on a Sunday, and as an institution owned and operated by the Presbyterian Church in America we observe the Sabbath by not competing in athletic events on Sunday. This conviction is clearly stated in our Student Handbook and is informed by the Bible, the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the PCA Book of Church Order.

In national tournaments, the NCAA makes accommodations for institutions that do not compete on a particular day for religious reasons. Bylaw 31.1.4.1 specifies that if an institution completes the Sport Sponsorship and Demographic Form they can be excused from competition on a particular day. The Covenant College Athletic Department has completed the necessary paperwork each year to apply for this exemption. While the NCAA has this policy, the USA South Athletic Conference is not bound to this. We have communicated with the other institutions in the USA South Athletic Conference, as well as the conference office, that we will not compete in athletic events on Sunday.”

Please direct any questions to Kyle Taylor, director of athletics.

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