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Big East Conference announces postponement of competition in its six fall sports

The conference said it will assess the options of staging those sports in the spring of 2021.

Casey Comber of Villanova, shown here anchoring the winning College Men's 4xMile Championship of America Invitational at the 2018 Penn Relays, is a senior on the Wildcats' men's cross country team. The team and other fall sports will not be competing after the Big East postponed fall sports competition because of the pandemic.
Casey Comber of Villanova, shown here anchoring the winning College Men's 4xMile Championship of America Invitational at the 2018 Penn Relays, is a senior on the Wildcats' men's cross country team. The team and other fall sports will not be competing after the Big East postponed fall sports competition because of the pandemic.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer

The Big East Conference announced Wednesday that competition in its six fall sports will not be staged because of the continuing impact of the pandemic, and that it will assess options to conduct contests in those sports in the spring of 2021.

The sports are men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, and field hockey. Big East member Villanova fields teams in all six sports.

Big East commissioner Val Ackerman said the decision, made in consultation with the Big East COVID-19 Task Force, came after a review of case counts and trends in conference communities, “and the many unknowns surrounding testing availability, turnaround time, and travel restrictions in our 11 locales.

“We take pride in the high-level competition and experiences we provide to our fall sports student-athletes,” she said, “and we share their deep disappointment that this will not be a normal year.”

Ackerman added that plans for men’s and women’s basketball, as well as other sports, “are unaffected at this time.”

The conference said student-athletes will be allowed to participate in practices, strength and conditioning sessions, and team meetings, consistent with NCAA and Big East regulations and public health guidelines.