NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Owing to ongoing concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Carleton College has canceled all competitions involving its varsity athletic teams during the Fall 2020 sports season. No decision has been made at this time regarding the status of winter and spring sports competition, other than that those teams also will not compete during the Fall 2020 academic term.
"It absolutely breaks my heart having to announce to our student-athletes and coaches the cancelation of the fall season," said Carleton Athletic Director Gerald Young. "However, the health and safety of our athletes, coaches, support staff, and spectators are paramount, it is unquestionably the right decision at this time."
The recent resurgence of the virus across many states reveals that conditions related to the pandemic continue to change on a daily basis. The decision to cancel varsity athletics competition during the fall was made due to restrictions—including physical distancing measures, limits on college travel, and a reduction in the number of students allowed to return to campus—that are being put in place to focus on the health and safety of all Carleton community members. Those restrictions rule out participation in intercollegiate athletic competition.
Although disappointed with this outcome, the Carleton coaches support this decision and now turn their focus to creating positive interactions and training opportunities for the affected programs. All sports teams—both those in their regular and non-traditional seasons—will still be permitted to practice during the fall term following NCAA and MDH guidelines.
While winter sports teams will not compete during fall term, no further decision has been made at this time regarding these squads' schedules during Winter Break or when teams can return after Winter Break. That information will be communicated to affected programs at a later date, as will updates about the schedules for spring sports teams.
FAQ – PEAR response to COVID-19 (updated to include information related to this announcement)
https://www.carleton.edu/physical-education/covid-faq/
