The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Presidents Council announced Thursday that NCAA intercollegiate competition will not occur during the Fall 2020 season due to health and safety concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes conference and non-conference competition.

Therefore, Colorado College will not compete in the following Division III sports for the Fall of 2020: men's soccer, volleyball, cross country, and tennis (non-traditional fall season).

"My heart aches for all the student-athletes and coaches out there affected by this," says CC Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine. "While the decision was incredibly difficult, it became clear as we worked with our conference colleagues and evaluated all the factors. We remain deeply committed this year to providing meaningful experiences to our fall sport student-athletes."

The SCAC and Colorado College are committed to exploring meaningful competitive experiences for all Fall sport student-athletes, including the possibility of conducting Fall sport competition and championships during the Spring semester. Teams will be encouraged, as health and safety conditions allow, to conduct conditioning, strength training, and other practice opportunities during the Fall semester.

"Not unlike the decision we had to make this past spring, today's decision was difficult and not taken lightly," says SCAC Commissioner Dwayne Hanberry. "At the very least, it is extremely frustrating to be forced to continue the suspension of competition this fall."

"After putting together a COVID-19 Task Force made up of administrators from each member institution, we thought we had landed on a reasonable plan for resocialization that would have allowed for measured increases of athletic activities upon the arrival of our student-athletes coming out of summer break," says Hanberry. "However, with recent spikes in cases, especially within our footprint, the decision to suspend competition for sports during the Fall semester and allow our campuses to focus on the health and safety of all students within a structured environment became the logical outcome."

Decisions related to winter and spring sport competition will be made at a later date.

"Not unlike the decision we had to make this past spring, today's decision was difficult and not taken lightly," says SCAC Commissioner Dwayne Hanberry. "At the very least, it is extremely frustrating to be forced to continue the suspension of competition this fall."

"After putting together a COVID-19 Task Force made up of administrators from each member institution, we thought we had landed on a reasonable plan for resocialization that would have allowed for measured increases of athletic activities upon the arrival of our student-athletes coming out of summer break," says Hanberry. "However, with recent spikes in cases, especially within our footprint, the decision to suspend competition for sports during the Fall semester and allow our campuses to focus on the health and safety of all students within a structured environment became the logical outcome."

Decisions related to winter and spring sport competition will be made at a later date.