DANVILLE, Ky. — The Southern Athletic Association, which includes Centre College, announced the suspension of all athletic competition until at least January 1, 2021.
The SAA Presidents' Council made the difficult decision this week and it included Centre's Dr. Milton Moreland. "This regrettable action comes after months of discussions by our member institutions on how we might responsibly and safely implement the resocialization of intercollegiate sport on our campuses," Moreland said. "With the data we have in hand at this time, the conclusion reached by our presidents is that it is in the best interest of our student-athletes to push our fall competitions to the spring."
The affected fall sports include football, men's soccer, women's soccer, field hockey, volleyball, cheerleading, and men's and women's cross country. Winter sports of swimming and diving, women's basketball and men's basketball will not compete against outside competition prior to January 1. Spring sports that compete over fall and spring, such as golf and tennis, will also wait until January 1 for outside competition.
Centre's Director of Athletics and Recreation, Brad Fields also reacted to the news. "As I said in a recent email to our student-athletes, we miss each of them, terribly. The joy that is found in my life's work, and that of our dedicated coaches and staff, is them. We are fortunate to be able to use sport to speak into the lives of the young people that come our way, to teach and mentor, and to learn together. Our current crisis stripped away our in-person opportunities starting on March 12 and continuing to this day. We eagerly await the day when they return to campus."
