Union has announced that it has canceled its 2020-21 season, becoming the 10th program to do so in the last eight days.
RPI, which is located just a few miles from Union, announced its cancelation yesterday. RIT and Alaska-Anchorage canceled last week as did the six Ivy League schools.
Union’s decision leaves the ECAC with just four teams for the 2020-21 season: Clarkson, St. Lawrence, Quinnipiac and Colgate.
The following statement is from Union AD Jim McLaughlin:
“This was an incredibly difficult and disappointing decision that we had to make in the best interest of our entire community, a decision that I was heartbroken to deliver to our student-athletes earlier today. The pandemic continues to affect all aspects of our daily lives and unfortunately intercollegiate athletics, like many other extracurricular pursuits that students are passionate about on our campus, is not immune.
“In order to maintain this positive momentum headed into the winter term, it will be critical to continue the safety precautions of social distancing, avoiding large gatherings and limiting travel to and from campus — all of which pose significant challenges to participating in intercollegiate athletics.
“We explored every possibility to allow our students to compete, including remote learning opportunities within close proximity to campus. Unfortunately, we could not identify a scenario that allowed us to compete safely without compromising the academic experience of our student-athletes, which is the primary reason students choose to attend Union along with the ability to compete at the highest level of competition on a national stage. My heart goes out to all but particularly our seniors, who have established themselves as leaders in the classroom, in the community and on the ice throughout their careers at Union.”
