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Division III's Centennial Conference suspends fall sports

Division III's Centennial Conference announced Tuesday afternoon that fall sports -- most notably football -- would be suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Given health and other related concerns, the Centennial Conference Presidents Council has decided to suspend any inter-collegiate competition for sports scheduled for the fall semester," a statement from the conference said. "The presidents will reevaluate this decision by the end of September, based on work to be done by the Conference to assess sports-specific activities and the experiences on the schools' campuses. The presidents have determined football will not be played in the fall."

The statement also said the conference is exploring the possibility of playing certain sports, like football, in the spring.

The announcement comes as Division I Power 5 leaders continue to wait and see about a start time on their athletics amid growing concerns about COVID-19.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement provided Monday to ESPN, "We said from the onset of this pandemic that circumstances around the virus would guide our decision-making, and it is clear recent developments related to COVID-19 have not been trending in the right direction."

The Centennial Conference is home to 11 schools in Pennsylvania and Maryland: Bryn Mawr College, Dickinson College, Franklin & Marshall College, Gettysburg College, Haverford College, Johns Hopkins University, McDaniel College, Muhlenberg College, Swarthmore College, Ursinus College and Washington College.

The conference also has affiliate members for either wrestling and football in Juniata College, United States Merchant Marine Academy, New York University, Moravian College, Susquehanna University and Washington and Lee University.