Fall sports championships have been canceled in NCAA Division II and Division III as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The cancellations affect football, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, women’s volleyball and men’s water polo in both divisions.
The NCAA board of governors directed each division to make its own determination on whether to hold fall championships, and both came to the same conclusion and made announcements Wednesday.
“Looking at the health and safety challenges we face this fall during this unprecedented time, we had to make this tough decision to cancel championships for fall sports this academic year in the best interest of our student-athlete and member institutions,” Tori Murden McClure, chair of the Division III Presidents Council and president at Spalding University, said in a statement. “Our Championships Committee reviewed the financial and logistical ramifications if Division III fall sports championships were conducted in the spring and found it was logistically untenable and financially prohibitive. Our Management Council reached the same conclusion.”
In canceling its seven championships, the Division II Presidents Council came to the same decision.
“This decision was discussed very thoroughly, and I assure you it was not made lightly,” said council chair Sandra Jordan, who is the chancellor of South Carolina Aiken. “It is important to note that fall student-athletes will be given eligibility-related flexibility to allow them championship opportunities in the future. As we move forward, we will continue to focus on providing the best championships experience for our winter and spring student-athletes who were not afforded those opportunities at the beginning of this pandemic.”
Other divisions have until Aug. 21 to decide whether they will hold fall championships. If 50% or more of eligible teams cancel their season, the NCAA will not hold championship events in that division.
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