Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Swarthmore suspends spring sports due to virus fears
The men’s basketball team isn’t the only athletic squad at Swarthmore College affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
After announcing spectators will not be allowed in Tarble Pavilion for Saturday’s NCAA Division III tournament game with Whitworth, the college announced in a statement on its website that it was suspending all spring sports activities, including games and practices until further notice.
This policy will take effect at the conclusion of the team’s spring break trips at the end of this week. Winter sports teams will be permitted to finish any postseason contests without spectators at home games and with careful provisions for travel, according to the statement.
The move is part of a broader decision that affects the entire campus community. Spring break has been extended through March 20 in an effort to transition from in-person classes to online classes from March 23 through April 3.
“This incredibly difficult decision was made in concert with a number of other temporary changes that the College is implementing in the best interest of the health and well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and the greater community,” the statement read. “While there are no suspected cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at Swarthmore College, all of our changes are meant to promote social distancing and mitigate the potential spread of the disease.”
Swarthmore athletic director Adam Hertz said that the decisions came from recommendations from the school’s COVID-19 crisis committee, which has been meeting every other day for several weeks. Swarthmore president Valerie Smith announced the changes in a statement on the school’s website.
“It’s incredibly difficult and I think the college recognizes that and the basketball team and the parents recognize it and support it as well,” Hertz said. “There are students here who are going to be playing their last games in a Swarthmore uniform here and it’s going to be to an empty gym. That’s incredibly emotional. Everyone recognizes the difficulty surrounding the decision-making process and understands that the process was made for the good of the community at large.”
Anyone who has already purchased a ticket to Saturday’s game will be refunded in the coming days, according to the statement. Fans can still watch the game via the Garnet Sports Network beginning at 4:45 p.m., according to the statement.
Tip-off is 5 p.m.
The Ivy League cancelled its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments on Tuesday out of coronavirus concerns. Amherst has barred fans for its NCAA Division III tournament game against George Fox. The Mountain West and MidAmerican Conferences announced they are restricting access to conference tournaments.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a pandemic on Wednesday.
“What we do know is that there is a virus out there that could impact not only us, but the medical community and other facilities at large and we need to do our best to stem or prevent that if we can,” Hertz said.
Villanova said in a statement its athletic teams will continue to practice and play as scheduled, but all on-campus events will be spectator free through at least April 14. The university also going to online classes for the foreseeable future, joining a host of others in the area.