No fall sports at Pitt-Greensburg, university announces

Pitt-Greensburg is playing it safe.

The university disclosed Thursday that it is postponing fall sports for the 2020 season amid continued concerns over the spread of coronavirus.

The fall season normally runs from August to October and includes men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis, women’s volleyball, golf and cross country.

UPG said it plans to “make every effort to reschedule fall sports for the spring term” but has not done so at this time.

Winter and spring sports are not affected by this decision — for now.

“My primary concern is for the safety of all members of our community,” UPG president Robert Gregerson said. “It was a difficult decision. We simply do not have the resources necessary to create and maintain an environment for intercollegiate Division III athletic competition that meets our safety requirements. We are not alone in making this decision, as many conferences and individual institutions across the United States and Pennsylvania have come to this same conclusion.”

The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference has not made a blanket decision to cancel or postpone fall sports.

The conference released a statement Thursday saying it plans to play but will continue to monitor the situation, offering “Future actions will be informed by science and established guidelines from governments and governing bodies.”

Other area conferences, such as the Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, plan to move fall sports to the spring.

The North Coast Athletic Conference suspended athletics until the end of December.

Carnegie Mellon also opted to postpone fall sports. Its home conference in every sport but football, the University Athletic Association, told schools they could schedule their own games outside of the conference.

Another Division III league, the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, is moving ahead with only conference games in the fall.

Pitt-Greensburg plans to “work with the NCAA and others to determine the best approach that allows student-athletes to condition and train during the fall.”

“We understand how much our students and fans wanted to see sports return this fall, but we support the decision to postpone fall varsity sports and appreciate the leadership provided by Dr. Gregerson,” Pitt-Greensburg athletic director Jeremy Yetter said.