On October 27th, the University Athletic Association (UAA), home of some of the top swim teams in Division III, announced that it will be canceling all conference-specific competition and championships for winter sports during the 2020-21 season. At the 2019 DIII NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships four members of the conference placed inside the top-20 on both the men’s and women’s sides, including the 10-time defending women’s NCAA champions Emory.
Members of the UAA
- Emory
- Chicago
- New York
- Washington (MO)
- Rochester
- Case Western
- Carnegie Mellon
- Brandeis
The UAA’s announcement applies to all winter sports including, basketball, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, and wrestling. Member institutions may determine if there is any currently scheduled contests that they will still be able to compete in.
Faram Jahanian, the President of Carnegie Mellon University and Chair of the UAA President’s Council said that:
“I am grateful to the athletics directors from across the UAA’s eight-member schools and UAA Executive Vice President Dick Rasmussen for their commitment and dedication over the past several months to consider how best to support our scholar-athletes. Our athletics programs bring such vitality and school spirit to our communities. While it is very disappointing to contemplate another season without UAA competition, our commitment to student health and safety is at odds with a conference schedule that would require travel at significant distances. We look forward to a return to play within the UAA as soon as we can, and I am confident that we will be stronger than ever when we can once again compete.”
While the entire conference announced they wouldn’t be holding formal conference competition, individual member schools have also begun announcing they will not be competing this winter. While the conference announcement will still allow schools to take part in competition if they chose, Emory has announced that the school’s winter sports will not be competing. Currently, the university is working to find ways to allow intercollegiate sports to train on campus.
Emory was the 2019 women’s NCAA champion and finished as the runner up on the men’s side.
Joining Emory in announcing the cancellation of winter sports is New York University (NYU). The school said that, while it won’t be allowing its athletes to travel or compete this season, it will be providing them with opportunities to train during the spring semester, assuming it can be done within public health guidelines.
In 2019 NYU’s women took 5th at the NCAA Championships while the school’s men took 28th.
Other members of the conference who have announced that they won’t be competing in winter sports include Case Western and Brandeis. The University of Chicago has also announced that wrestling and basketball will not be competing this season, although they have yet to comment on swimming and diving.
The UAA and its member schools aren’t the first to make this announcement. Last month the NESCAC canceled all conference competitions. Both Amherst and Williams, who are members of the NESCAC and top-10 finishers at the 2019 NCAA Championships, have announced that they will not be competing this year.
Probably a money issue more than the Covid issue
Correction to NCAC ‘…any sort of conference competition…’
https://denisonbigred.com/news/2020/10/16/ncacwinter202021.aspx
Sad day, the entire season across the division is looking very much in jeopardy. a few teams have actually had meets but it’s pretty minor. Very sad for all the seniors this year (and those last year who also missed NCAAs)
My heart goes out to the seniors. They are now losing out on another national championship meet with no option of taking a gap year since it’s now November. Very, very unfair.
Last week, the D3 Management Council approved a blanket waiver for all D3 student-athletes to receive an extra season of eligibility.
So, not sure if that impacts their ability to take an academic gap year or not, but they definitely can take a crack at the 2022 national championship meet.
Hard to do at a school with no graduate programs like a Kenyon or Denison. It’s 4 years and you’re done. Could transfer to get that additional waiver year but most kids probably will not do it. Swimming is not like football. Most seniors have their future plans at this point- especially at these elite schools. Would work if swimmer was going to grad school at the same institution they swam at but grad school demands are a whole other world.
Hello transfers!
Doubtful, these are DIII swimmers at academically elite schools.
I tend to agree with Mitransplant. While maybe we’ll see someone transfer, if you’re in to a school like Emory or the University of Chicago or NYU, you’ve gone there for a reason that has a lot to do with the academics. While I’m sure there will be some initial disappointment or even anger, there aren’t really very many schools you could transfer to that seem certain to have a season. The Ivies are no given at this point, MIT is out, etc. etc.
It’s looking unlikely at this point like there will be a D3 season anywhere.
SUNYAC and NEWMAC out too.
Sad
2020-2021???!?? Is that a typo? I can’t believe they’d be cancelling next year right now.
It’s OK. We will have other swim meets…well not really…ISL (Fake swimming), NCAA DI (The BIG meet will be cancelled – again) and the 2021? Olympics will be postponed – again. Yikes what is going on with all the crazy people?
Why do you hate ISL lol
It is SO BORING
The 2020-2021 season is the season that’s currently happening. The season starts in 2020, and finishes in 2021.
Not sure what time warp I was in yesterday when I wrote this, apparently I thought it was still 2019? 😂
I feel like teams should at least try. If something happens then you shut it down. I wonder how much schools canceling their seasons will effect recruiting and transfers
It’s easier to drop and add then work towards something and have it canceled. If there is a turn for the better and shift, they’ll already be training, they can create a meet (ncaa “invite”) before the end of the school year.
TRY? Keep going until we sacrifice someone on the team to the disease and then take precautions? Shame on you.