Eastern Kentucky University issued the following announcement on March 13
The Ohio Valley Conference announced on Thursday that it is suspending all spring and winter sports competition and championships.
In a statement, The Ohio Valley Conference Board of Presidents announced that "effective immediately OVC member institutions will suspend athletic-related activities including all competition, and formal practices until further notice due to the COVID-19 public health threat. All recruiting-related travel is also suspended until April 3, 2020, at which time the impact of that ban will be evaluated. The main priority of the OVC is to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and administrators. The league will continue to monitor all relevant information on COVID-19 on a daily basis.
"During this time of concern and uncertainty, EKU Athletics absolutely supports the steps that have been taken to protect the health and welfare of our student-athletes, coaches, support staff and campus community," said EKU athletics director Matt Roan. "While these actions are understandably disappointing to many, including myself, please know that these decisions are entirely in the best interest of our stakeholders. We look forward to working to mitigate the impact on our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans.
The OVC suspension coincides with the NCAA canceling the entirety of its spring and winter sports championships. The NCAA said in a statement on Thursday, "Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities."
The NCAA's decision applies only to championship events. Individual conferences and schools can decide for themselves whether they want to continue their regular seasons, the NCAA said in a statement.
EKU sports affected include: beach volleyball, softball, baseball, men's and women's track and field, men's and women's golf and spring football practice.
The EKU softball team was on a record-setting win streak before the cancellation, and the baseball team had a 12-2 record and a win over the LSU Tigers on its resume.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Eastern Kentucky University
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