The V-Hawks’ women’s golf and men’s and women’s soccer teams reported to campus Aug. 8 and will begin practice Saturday. The women’s volleyball team will start its camp Wednesday, and the men’s golf team is scheduled to arrive on campus next week.

“I think all the coaches are kind of in the same boat — as far as in our conference, in the North Star — that we all want to proceed safely and we want to give our athletes an opportunity to play,” said Viterbo women’s volleyball coach Ryan DeLong, whose team advanced to the NAIA national semifinals a season ago.

Safety is a top priority for Fried, too. He said team members will undergo daily health screenings and practice formats will be modified so teams can practice social distancing. DeLong said his team will do much of its cardio workouts outdoors in response to the virus, and masks will be commonplace.

“You’re trying to do everything you can to structure that practice to preserve some of the distancing, but at some point, there’s no way around it. There’s going to be some contact,” Fried said. “And all those plans will be different. The golf plan is not going to be nearly as exhaustive as perhaps the soccer plan.”

NAIA guidelines require athletes and coaches to “receive a negative polymerise chain reaction test no more than seven days prior to their first competition,” and Fried said attendance will be regulated at V-Hawks competitions, granted they are able to be played. Spectators for outdoor sports will be required to be 6 feet apart or wear a mask if distancing isn’t possible, while attendance for indoor sports will be restricted to 25% capacity.