Throughout the fall semester, Brandeis Athletics and the entire university have been committed to successfully maintaining the health and safety of the campus community. The university has closely monitored infection rates at the national, state and local levels, and has relied on strict protocols and a robust testing system to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on campus thus far. Continuing to keep the community safe is the highest priority as we look ahead to the spring.
Due to the continued prevalence of the virus, as well as rising infection rates both regionally and nationally, Brandeis Athletics has decided that the university’s winter teams (men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s fencing, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, and men’s and women’s swimming and diving) will not compete in intercollegiate athletics this season.
“Even with the extensive university testing protocol in place, we ultimately decided that the risks to you, your coaches and our staff were simply too great to move forward with travel and outside competition,” Director of Athletics, Lauren Haynie wrote in an email to student-athletes on Tuesday.
“For the rest of this semester, you will have the opportunity to continue to engage in strength and conditioning sessions, as well as practices with your coaches,” Haynie continued. “If state guidelines allow, there will be similar opportunities for meaningful participation with your teams during the spring semester.”
A determination regarding the feasibility of intercollegiate competition for Brandeis’ spring sports (baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s outdoor track & field) will be made at a later date.
For more Brandeis-specific COVID-19 updates, we encourage you to visit Brandeis' Plan for Fall 2020 and the Athletics COVID-19 Update page.