By Lincoln Shryack - FloTrack
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In a move that could have widespread effects across the NCAA, the Ivy League announced on Wednesday that they have canceled all fall sports, including cross country, in 2020 in response to the ongoing pandemic.
Back in March, the Ivy League was quick to act in canceling all remaining spring sports in the conference a day before the NCAA made the official declaration that every spring sport across all three divisions was canceled.
While the Ivy League's decision to sit out the fall might foreshadow similar moves from other conferences and institutions, Yahoo's Dan Wetzel points out that the Ivy League doesn't have the same financial motivations as schools who rely on football for considerable revenue.
That doesn't mean that Power Five schools will simply forge ahead with fall sports regardless of infection risk, but the Ivy League's decision on Wednesday is not a guaranteed death knell for all Division I sports in 2020, either.
In the immediate, the sport of cross country has been dealt a blow as no Heps Championships removes one of the sport's most unique and exciting events. For the Ivy athletes themselves, they're left to wonder if their conference was simply ahead of the curve or if they have moved too quickly to cancel before the NCAA makes their own declaration.