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UMaine Pulls Plug On Fall Sports

CAA, America East, CCC Cancel Fall Season Sports

With America East and the Colonial Athletic Association decision to not hold fall sports because of ongoing Covid-19 issues, the University of Maine announced Friday that there will be no Black Bears participation in fall sports.

Here’s the release from UMaine Athletics…

ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine, in consultation with the America East Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, has made the difficult but necessary decision to postpone participation in the fall 2020 sports season. This decision affects the sports of football, field hockey, soccer and cross country.

 We understand the concerns of intercollegiate athletics conferences nationwide during this challenging time. We respect the decision of America East and the Colonial Athletic Assocation to postpone the fall season and look forward to what’s possible in the spring semester. 

 Division I athletics is part of the fabric of UMaine. We know fans throughout Black Bear Nation will remain supportive and understanding until the time comes when our student-athletes return to competition. Until then, our athletes and other students will be back on campus for the fall semester.

Release from: Joan Ferrini-Mundy, President , Ken Ralph, Director of Athletics

Here’s the CAA decision…

RICHMOND, Va. CAA Football announced today that the Conference’s Board of Directors has voted to suspend conference competition in the Fall of 2020 due to continuing concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The conference expressed a strong commitment to exploring the possibility of conducting a football season during the Spring of 2021, and will continue to analyze this scenario as more information becomes available and conditions continue to evolve.
 
In expressing an understanding of the uniqueness of the Conference’s composition (12 institutions that compete in other sports in four Division I Conferences), the geographical expansion of the Conference membership and the complexity of an ever-changing situation, the Conference’s Board of Directors also affirmed that the Conference’s policies would permit member institutions the ability to explore the option of pursuing playing an independent football schedule in the Fall of 2020.
 
“I commend the Board of Directors for their forward thinking and open-mindedness when dealing with the uncertain and complex moment that we find ourselves in,” said CAA Commissioner Joe D’Antonio. “Each of our institutions is making the best decisions for its campus community, based on a totality of the circumstances analysis.”
 
For the 2020-21 academic year, institutions will have the ability to manage practice activities for its football student-athletes in a manner that best meets institutional, federal, state and local guidelines, as well as NCAA Rules.  – CAA Press Release

In the Division III ranks, Husson University of University of New England football teams will not have conference games to play this fall.

Here the news from the CCC…

BIDDEFORD, Maine – In the face of unprecedented challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the goal of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) has remained unchanged: to provide the safest possible environment for our student-athletes in all sports so that intercollegiate athletic competition may safely resume at the appropriate time.

Despite the strong desire to provide our talented athletes the opportunity to play competitively in the sports at which they excel, the CCC Board of Directors has made the extremely difficult decision to suspend CCC intercollegiate athletic competition for the Fall 2020 semester.

With improved public health conditions and relevant NCAA guidance, we hope to begin competition for winter sports athletic competition as early as January 1, 2021. Spring sports currently remain on schedule as planned, with the exception of canceling their non-traditional fall play date. In addition, should NCAA legislation permit fall sports teams to conduct athletic activities and competition in the Spring 2021 semester, CCC schedules and championships may be adjusted accordingly.

The decision to suspend CCC play in the Fall 2020 semester does not preclude individual CCC institutions from making institutional decisions to schedule some athletic competition.

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