The Ivy League has canceled all winter sports, becoming the first Division I conference to nix play for the upcoming 2020-21 season.
The Thursday night decision follows in line with other the recent decisions from the league.
In March, the Ancient Eight became the first conference to cancel its postseason basketball tournament as COVID-19 was just beginning to spread across the country. And in July the conference made the announcement it would not play fall sports and put the winter sports season on hold until Jan. 1.
“Consistent with its commitment to safeguard the health and well-being of student-athletes, the greater campus community and general public, the Ivy League Council of Presidents has decided that league schools will not conduct intercollegiate athletics competition in winter sports during the 2020-21 season,” the conference announced in its Thursday night press release. “In addition, the Ivy League will not conduct competition for fall sports during the upcoming spring semester. Lastly, intercollegiate athletics competition for spring sports is postponed through at least the end of February 2021.”
The announcement ends the season for various Dartmouth Athletics programs, including basketball and ice hockey. This comes as new coronavirus cases reached a record total of 145,835 on Wednesday. The state of New Hampshire set a new daily cases record, too, on Thursday with 323.
“Regrettably, the current trends regarding transmission of the COVID-19 virus and subsequent protocols that must be put in place are impeding our strong desire to return to intercollegiate athletics competition in a safe manner,” the Ivy League Council of Presidents said in a joint statement. “Student-athletes, their families and coaches are again being asked to make enormous sacrifices for the good of public health — and we do not make this decision lightly.”
The decision to call off winter sports is not the first to be made in New England. The Division III New England Small College Athletic Conference canceled its winter sports season last month.
“Winter and fall sport student-athletes will not lose a season of Ivy League or NCAA eligibility, whether or not they enroll,” the release stated regarding eligibility. “Students who wish to pursue competition during a fifth year of undergraduate education at their home institution, if permitted, or as a graduate student elsewhere will need to work with their institutions in accordance with campus policy to determine their options beyond their current anticipated graduation date.”
While the Ivy League will not compete this winter, other conferences across the Division I landscape will. College basketball is slated to begin on Nov. 25, and Hockey East rolled out its schedule for the upcoming season on Wednesday.