Princeton University Athletics
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Ivy League Outlines Intercollegiate Athletics Plans; No Competition In Fall Semester
July 08, 2020 | Field Hockey, Football, General, Men's Cross Country, Men's Soccer, Men's Track and Field, Men's Water Polo, Women's Cross Country, Women's Soccer, Women's Track and Field, Women's Volleyball
Ivy League FAQs For Returning Student-Athletes
Ivy League FAQs For Incoming Student-Athletes
PRINCETON, N.J. -- Amidst continuing health and safety concerns due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Ivy League Council of Presidents has set in place plans for intercollegiate athletics activity in the upcoming fall semester.
With the safety and well-being of students as their highest priority, Ivy League institutions are implementing campus-wide policies including restrictions on student and staff travel, requirements for social distancing, limits on group gatherings, and regulations for visitors to campus. As athletics is expected to operate consistent with campus policies, it will not be possible for Ivy League teams to participate in intercollegiate athletics competition prior to the end of the fall semester.
Practice and other athletic training opportunities for enrolled student-athletes will be permitted provided they are structured in accordance with each institution's procedures and applicable state regulations. The Ivy League will also issue guidelines on a phased approach to conditioning and practice activities to allow for interaction among student-athletes and coaches that will begin with limited individual and small group workouts and build to small group practice sessions, if public health conditions permit.
Fall sport student-athletes will not use a season of Ivy League or NCAA eligibility in the fall, whether or not they enroll. Students who wish to pursue competition during a fifth-year will need to work with their institutions in accordance with campus policy to determine their options beyond their current anticipated graduation date.
Local campus policies for the student body regarding return to campus and in-person learning will apply to student-athletes.
A decision on the remaining winter and spring sports competition calendar, and on whether fall sport competition would be feasible in the spring, will be determined at a later date.
The Ivy League Council of Presidents offered the following joint statement:
"As a leadership group, we have a responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interest of the students who attend our institutions, as well as the faculty and staff who work at our schools. These decisions are extremely difficult, particularly when they impact meaningful student-athlete experiences that so many value and cherish.
With the information available to us today regarding the continued spread of the virus, we simply do not believe we can create and maintain an environment for intercollegiate athletic competition that meets our requirements for safety and acceptable levels of risk, consistent with the policies that each of our schools is adopting as part of its reopening plans this fall.
We are entrusted to create and maintain an educational environment that is guided by health and safety considerations. There can be no greater responsibility — and that is the basis for this difficult decision."
Ivy League Council of Presidents
Christina Paxson, Brown University
Lee Bollinger, Columbia University
Martha Pollack, Cornell University
Philip Hanlon, Dartmouth College
Lawrence Bacow, Harvard University
Amy Gutmann, University of Pennsylvania
Christopher Eisgruber, Princeton University
Peter Salovey, Yale University
Statement From Mollie Marcoux Samaan '91, Ford Family Director of Athletics
The Council of Ivy Presidents has made an extremely difficult decision regarding competition during the fall semester. Arriving at this point required significant thought and consideration to the ever-changing variables of this global crisis and I appreciate the careful examination given by the Council and my colleagues within the league to numerous possibilities for a safe return to play. In the end, the health and safety of our students and of our community must always be our top priority.
None of this is easy and we are heartbroken for our amazing student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans. The college athletics experience is meaningful on so many levels, not only in what is learned but the relationships that are cultivated and the community that is formed. Our teams won't compete this fall but our teaching will not stop. We will continue to support our student-athletes with even more vigor and focus during these challenging times. We will continue to build community and develop leaders through athletics. We have made a commitment to each other, and will continue to embody the values of being a Tiger through it all. What I shared earlier this spring holds true today -- when it is appropriate for us to return to competition, our Princeton Athletics family will do so with renewed spirit and a continued commitment to excellence in all we do."
Ivy League FAQs For Incoming Student-Athletes
PRINCETON, N.J. -- Amidst continuing health and safety concerns due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Ivy League Council of Presidents has set in place plans for intercollegiate athletics activity in the upcoming fall semester.
With the safety and well-being of students as their highest priority, Ivy League institutions are implementing campus-wide policies including restrictions on student and staff travel, requirements for social distancing, limits on group gatherings, and regulations for visitors to campus. As athletics is expected to operate consistent with campus policies, it will not be possible for Ivy League teams to participate in intercollegiate athletics competition prior to the end of the fall semester.
Practice and other athletic training opportunities for enrolled student-athletes will be permitted provided they are structured in accordance with each institution's procedures and applicable state regulations. The Ivy League will also issue guidelines on a phased approach to conditioning and practice activities to allow for interaction among student-athletes and coaches that will begin with limited individual and small group workouts and build to small group practice sessions, if public health conditions permit.
Fall sport student-athletes will not use a season of Ivy League or NCAA eligibility in the fall, whether or not they enroll. Students who wish to pursue competition during a fifth-year will need to work with their institutions in accordance with campus policy to determine their options beyond their current anticipated graduation date.
Local campus policies for the student body regarding return to campus and in-person learning will apply to student-athletes.
A decision on the remaining winter and spring sports competition calendar, and on whether fall sport competition would be feasible in the spring, will be determined at a later date.
The Ivy League Council of Presidents offered the following joint statement:
"As a leadership group, we have a responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interest of the students who attend our institutions, as well as the faculty and staff who work at our schools. These decisions are extremely difficult, particularly when they impact meaningful student-athlete experiences that so many value and cherish.
With the information available to us today regarding the continued spread of the virus, we simply do not believe we can create and maintain an environment for intercollegiate athletic competition that meets our requirements for safety and acceptable levels of risk, consistent with the policies that each of our schools is adopting as part of its reopening plans this fall.
We are entrusted to create and maintain an educational environment that is guided by health and safety considerations. There can be no greater responsibility — and that is the basis for this difficult decision."
Ivy League Council of Presidents
Christina Paxson, Brown University
Lee Bollinger, Columbia University
Martha Pollack, Cornell University
Philip Hanlon, Dartmouth College
Lawrence Bacow, Harvard University
Amy Gutmann, University of Pennsylvania
Christopher Eisgruber, Princeton University
Peter Salovey, Yale University
Statement From Mollie Marcoux Samaan '91, Ford Family Director of Athletics
The Council of Ivy Presidents has made an extremely difficult decision regarding competition during the fall semester. Arriving at this point required significant thought and consideration to the ever-changing variables of this global crisis and I appreciate the careful examination given by the Council and my colleagues within the league to numerous possibilities for a safe return to play. In the end, the health and safety of our students and of our community must always be our top priority.
None of this is easy and we are heartbroken for our amazing student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans. The college athletics experience is meaningful on so many levels, not only in what is learned but the relationships that are cultivated and the community that is formed. Our teams won't compete this fall but our teaching will not stop. We will continue to support our student-athletes with even more vigor and focus during these challenging times. We will continue to build community and develop leaders through athletics. We have made a commitment to each other, and will continue to embody the values of being a Tiger through it all. What I shared earlier this spring holds true today -- when it is appropriate for us to return to competition, our Princeton Athletics family will do so with renewed spirit and a continued commitment to excellence in all we do."
Sights and Sounds: Football vs. Columbia (10/3/25)
Tuesday, October 07
Sights and Sounds: Football at Lafayette (9/27/25)
Monday, September 29
Princeton Athletics Career Networking Breakfast (Fall 2025)
Wednesday, September 24
Inside Training Camp: Princeton Football 2025
Thursday, September 04