Swim meets at all levels continue to cancel due to concerns about the novel 2019 coronavirus. Now the College Club Swimming National Championships have also canceled.
The meet was scheduled to take place from April 10-12 in Greensboro, North Carolina. A press release today from U.S. Masters Swimming, College Club Swimming and University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Club Swimming announced the meet’s cancellation.
USA Swimming has strongly recommended the cancellation of all meets, and a number of Sectional meets have already been canceled. NCAA meets are still up in the air, with no official announcement yet, but many major teams and conferences have already cancelled post-season play.
The full press release is below:
SARASOTA, Fla. — U.S. Masters Swimming, College Club Swimming, and University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Club Swimming have decided to cancel the 2020 FINIS College Club Swimming National Championship because of concerns regarding COVID-19, the organizations announced Thursday.
The University of North Carolina has mandated that university-affiliated events with more than 50 people both on- and off-campus be cancelled or postponed until further notice. Many other colleges and universities have imposed similar restrictions on students and gatherings because of COVID-19 (also known as the coronavirus).
“The safety of CCS athletes, fans, and volunteers is paramount,” USMS CEO Dawson Hughes says. “We’ve worked closely with our meet hosts over the past several weeks and have determined that cancelling the meet is the best course of action.”
This would’ve been the third national championship for College Club Swimming, which is a joint partnership between club swimming programs across the country and USMS, which provides organizational support. There are about 170 clubs and more than 6,400 swimmers registered in CCS for the 2019-20 season.
The first CCS Nationals in Atlanta in April 2018 drew more than 2,000 swimmers, and more than 1,800 swimmers attended last year’s CCS Nationals in Columbus, Ohio.
“We’re extremely disappointed about having to cancel the meet,” says Rachel Redmond, the meet director and a member of UNC Club Swimming, “but it’s in the best interest of the swimmers and coaches and their families in attendance in regards to safety.”
Sad for the swimmers, but my team & other teams around us wouldn’t have been able to come given that we weren’t allowed to practice again until a few days before. Understandable but sad
Well not like I just wasted nine months of solo doubles for anything in my senior year.
unfortunate but necessary sadly
It was inevitable. Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves. We are close to having restaurants, high schools, churches, etc. cancelled. Smart thing for USMS to do.
Smart decision! Unfortunate for athletes but definitely best course of action to protect the health of anyone involved.
Glad to see UNC and CCS keeping the students safe!
Glad that they are taking precautions to keep swimmers safe! Great job CCS and UNC Swim Club