By Anthony Covino
Sports Editor
The presidents of the universities in the Northeast Conference, FDU’s NCAA Div. 1 athletics league, have decided to keep to their decision regarding the resumption of fall sports.
They confirmed their July 29 decision to postpone fall sports and championships as well as other sports competition to no earlier than Nov. 25, which was announced in a press release.
“As we contend with the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 public health crisis, health and safety remain our highest priorities, and today’s decision by the NEC Council of Presidents aligns with those priorities,” said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris.
With the NCAA’s decision to move its fall championships to the spring this year, the NEC will continue to explore the best options for organizing competitive experience for fall sports during the spring semester, the league said. The presidents will also determine how to move forward with the correct protocols in place for a healthy and safe environment, the league said.
“As an athlete I am very heartbroken about the decision to postpone fall sports and their season. However, I do understand the situation that the pandemic has caused. Therefore, I stand with the decision that puts student athletes’ lives as a priority,” Christa Waterman, a junior defender on the FDU women’s soccer team, told The Equinox. All NEC soccer players in September signed a petition seeking to play in the spring.
As of right now, if fall sports resume no earlier than Nov. 25, this will occur after the end of the FDU fall semester.
NEC Associate Commissioner Ron Ratner added, “The presidents reevaluated the status of their campus openings along with current COVID health indicators and did not see a pathway to resuming athletic competition this fall in a safe and healthy way for student-athletes, coaches and staff.”
FDU’s fall sports are men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, women’s bowling, and fencing. If these sports begin competition during the winter or spring semester, they would coincide with winter and spring sports.
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Art by Anthony Covino
