Big East latest to cancel fall sports

The Big East announced that fall sports competition will not be conducted in 2020 but will explore the possibility of staging fall sports contests during the spring.

The decision was made in consultation with the Big East COVID-19 Task Force, a medical advisory group that includes administrators, doctors, athletic trainers, student-athletes and national experts in global pandemics and infectious diseases.

The news, first shared in a tweet from longtime college sports reporter Mark Blaudschun, comes on a day when conference presidents are scheduled to meet and vote on the status of the fall season. The Big East had previously moved to a conference-only schedule in the fall.

The fall competition for baseball, softball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s tennis, will not be held. Decisions on winter and spring sports schedules will be made at a later time.

UConn joined the conference on July 1, moving from the American Athletic Conference. UConn already canceled its 2020 football schedule, as the school was set to play as an independent because the Big East does not sponsor the sport.

The move impacts field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, and cross country.

According to an industry source, this decision does not impact the start of basketball at this time. The men’s and women’s hockey programs are members of Hockey East so they also will not be impacted by this decision.

“I fully support the difficult but necessary decision made by the Big East presidents to postpone fall sports competition,” UConn Director of Athletics David Benedict said in a release. “Our studentathletes take great pride in competing but, in speaking to many of them in last several days, I know they understand this decision was made with their health and well-being at top of mind. We remain committed to providing a world-class academic and athletic experience to all our student-athletes while also ensuring a safe and supportive environment on campus.”

The move could leave the NCAA field hockey tournament without one of its perennial championship contenders. UConn has won three of the last seven national titles and the Huskies have played in the last 18 national tournaments and 23 of the last 24.

UConn has played in 36 men’s soccer NCAA tournaments winning the titles in 1981 and 2000 and is one of eight programs to win at least 40 games in the NCAA Division I tournament. The Huskies have appeared in 21 women’s soccer NCAA tournaments losing in the final in 1984, 1990, 1997, 2003.

“Obviously, the most important thing is the health and safety of our student-athletes,” UConn men’s soccer coach Ray Reid said in a statement. “With all the medical information that we’ve received, I believe this is the correct decision.

“Our players will be disappointed, but they know we’re looking out for their best interests. We will help our staff and players get through this challenging period together.”

Quinnipiac’s field hockey team plays in the Big East but on Tuesday the school announced that there would not be a field hockey season for the Bobcats in the fall.

With the Big East move, nearly every scheduled sporting event by Connecticut four-year colleges in the fall sports season has been called off.