Big East cancels fall sports season amid pandemic

The Big East on Wednesday joined the growing list of conferences not playing sports in the fall.

The conference announced that men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, volleyball and field hockey won't be contested because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

"This very difficult decision came after an exhaustive review by our Presidents and Athletics Directors and followed consideration of NCAA guidance, COVID-19 case counts and trend lines nationally and in BIG EAST communities, and the many unknowns surrounding testing availability, turnaround time and travel restrictions in our 11 locales," said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. "We take pride in the high-level competition and experiences we provide to our fall sports student-athletes, and we share their deep disappointment that this will not be a normal year. Our plans for men's and women's basketball and other sports are unaffected at this time."

Teams will be allowed to practice and hold team activities that are consistent with campus policies.

Men's and women's basketball are not affected at this time and will be evaluated at a later point.

The move came one day after the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced they would not be participating this fall.

On Wednesday, the Big 12 Conference reaffirmed its decision to press on with college football and other fall sports Wednesday, joining the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences in taking the field amid the coronavirus pandemic.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.