This post has been updated.
The Ivy League announced on Wednesday that all spring athletic practices and competitions are canceled through the remainder of the academic year amid further developments in the outbreak of COVID-19.
According to the league’s release, individual institutions will decide whether winter teams will participate in postseason play.
Cornell women’s hockey will play in a mostly-empty Lynah Rink this weekend. Meanwhile, the men will move on to the ECAC semifinals following Yale’s withdrawal from the ECAC Tournament.
“My initial reaction, the reaction of the whole team, was just — it was just shock,” said Jonathan Zacharias, a sophomore pitcher on the baseball team.
Some Cornell players voiced their discontent with the decision.
I didn’t rehab 9 months for this https://t.co/X5Cx88z2gW
— Seth Urbon (@TheUrbonLegend) March 11, 2020
The things people don’t think about https://t.co/OHXE6i1AVv
— Seth Urbon (@TheUrbonLegend) March 11, 2020
Becca Jordan, a junior on the sailing team, expressed her shock at the news.
“We knew that it was a possibility and we joked about it for a few days, but we never thought it would actually happen,” Jordan said. “Honestly, at practice, the seniors were like, ‘what if this is our last time ever putting on our pinnies as college athletes?’”
After spending her semester abroad in the fall, the announcement was difficult for Jordan, who was excited about the upcoming season.
“It was a big decision to go abroad and be away from the team, but I was so excited to get back,” Jordan said. “Getting ready and gearing up for nationals at the end of spring was really exciting … but I know that I am in a way better position than the seniors because I still have another year. It’s not like my entire career is gone.”
Both Jordan and Zacharias expressed remorse for the seniors, who saw their collegiate careers come to an unexpected end.
“We had a great group of seniors this year with a ton of leadership,” Zacharias said. “Many of them were working their way back from injuries, so the fact that they put all that time into rehabbing and to [have the season] cut short like this is kind of hard — all of our hearts go out to the seniors.”
“Our seniors were up for pretty big awards, and that might fall through,” Jordan said. “We’ve just tried to put our sadness away and be there for them and do whatever they need. We’ve all been hanging out a lot today, and we’re all trying to spend time together.”
Men’s lacrosse had a 5-0 record and recently ascended to the No. 2 ranking in national polls. The team was scheduled to face No. 6 Yale on Saturday in its first Ivy game. Multiple spokespeople from the team declined to comment.
While the news has been difficult, it has brought the teams closer together.
“If there’s any silver lining, it shows how important we are to each other and how much we all care about each other,” Jordan said.
Christina Bulkeley ’21 contributed reporting to this article.