NCAA D-II, D-III cancel fall championships for 2020

The NCAA Division II and Division III are canceling fall sports championships in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was announced Wednesday.

The NCAA directed each division to make its own decision regarding fall championships this season.

Sandra Jordan, the chair of the D-II presidents' council, said the decision was a "difficult" one. The chancellor of South Carolina Aiken added that staging fall championships in any capacity isn't "viable or fiscally responsible" for the division.

"This decision was discussed very thoroughly, and I assure you, it was not made lightly," Jordan said in a statement. "It is important to note that fall student-athletes will be given eligibility-related flexibility to allow them championship opportunities in the future."

As of Wednesday, 11 of the 23 Division II conferences had decided not to compete during the fall season in 2020, according to the NCAA's release.

Spalding president and D-III council chair Tori Murden McClure said canceling fall championships this year is "in the best interest of our student-athletes and member institutions."

The cancellations impact football, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's water polo, men's and women's cross country, and field hockey.