The college sports schedule continues to shrink for a fall that will be heavily impacted by COVID-19.
On Thursday, the Big East Conference announced the cancellation of all fall non-conference events while the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference suspended all competition for fall 2020.
The Big East said winter and spring sports are moving forward has planned, while no decisions have been made on conference games or championships for the conference’s six fall sports — men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, volleyball and field hockey.
“In the coming weeks, the Big East will continue to monitor COVID-19 conditions across the country and in Big East communities and will provide further updates on dates and formats as appropriate,” the Big East’s release reads. “All decisions regarding fall conference competition will continue to be guided first and foremost by the health and safety of Big East campuses and their athletics program participants and will be made in accordance with NCAA actions and policies.”
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The MEAC’s decision was made by the conference’s Council of Presidents and Chancellors, with the press release saying all fall sports were suspended “out of concern for the safety as well as the physical and mental health of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, support staff, faculty and fans. The rapid escalation of COVID-19 cases along the eastern seaboard heavily influenced the council’s decision.”
The MEAC’s press release left open the possibility of playing falls sports during the spring 2021 semester, while the conference plans to keep the winter seasons as scheduled.
“The health and safety of our student-athletes continue to be our number one priority. We have made the decision to suspend all sports competitions after careful review of the current conditions and consideration of the potential exposure that regular travel to competitions may cause and ongoing extensive physical contact,” said Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, president of Howard University and chair of the MEAC Council of Presidents. “While our competitions have been suspended, each member institution will plan ongoing engagement of all student-athletes to ensure optimization of their physical and mental well-being as they continue their matriculation.”
The MEAC joined the Ivy League and the Patriot League as Football Championship Subdivision conferences to cancel fall sports, while the Big East joined the Big Ten and Pac-12 in conferencing non-conference events.
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