BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Patriot League, a 13-school college athletic conference that includes Pennsylvania universities Bucknell, Lehigh, and Lafayette, announced Monday it is canceling the fall sports season due to COVID-19 safety concerns.
The league said it will make decisions on winter and spring competitions at a later date.
Conditioning, strength training, and other practice opportunities in all sports will be permitted, provided health and safety conditions support such activities, the league announced.
The league's two military academies -- the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis -- "are unique in their environments and their missions within higher education," the league said. Therefore, they will be permitted to continue to engage in competitive opportunities "as considered appropriate by their respective superintendents," the league said.
"The collegiate athletics experience at all Patriot League institutions is valuable to fulfilling our educational and developmental missions, and the League recognizes that any degree of non-competition this fall is deeply disappointing to our student-athletes, coaches, and fans," the league said in its announcement. "However, the health and safety of our campuses and communities must be our highest priority.
"The League is committed to exploring creative approaches and alternatives to providing future competitive experiences to our fall sport student-athletes, including the possibility of conducting fall sport competition and championships in the second semester."
