NEW YORK – The Big East Conference Thursday announced that its six fall sports, including men’s and women’s soccer, will play on within the league and not include non-conference competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That will affect colleges such as St. John’s University, Butler University, University of Connecticut, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University.
“As a charter member of the Big East, we fully support the league-wide decision to play only within the conference this fall, which will help ensure that our teams can compete in a safe environment in accordance with local and state guidelines,” St. John’s director of Mike Cragg said in a statement. “We will continue to work diligently with University officials and our conference peers throughout this evolving situation. During these challenging times, the entire Red Storm Athletic Department remains deeply committed to providing top-tier support services for our student-athletes to achieve excellence in the classroom and, eventually, in competition.”
The sports affected are: men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, volleyball and field hockey.
The conference added that no decision has been made regarding Big East fall sports conference competition and championships.
“In the coming weeks, the Big East will continue to monitor COVID-19 conditions across the country and in conference communities and will provide further updates on dates and formats as appropriate,” a conference statement said. “All decisions regarding fall conference competition will continue to be guided first and foremost by the health and safety of Big East campuses and their athletics program participants and will be made in accordance with NCAA actions and policies.”
The Big East’s plans for the 2020-21 winter and spring sports seasons remain unaffected at this time.
