Athletic competitions officially canceled through spring

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College decided on Thursday afternoon to officially cancel all of its athletic competitions for the rest of the 2019-20 academic year, effective immediately. Because of the threat of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Defiance originally suspended all athletic activities for a minimum of two weeks beginning last Friday, March 13.

DC's most recent decision came after the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, of which the Yellow Jackets are members, announced on Thursday that it was canceling the remainder of the 2019-20 athletic seasons, including spring sports and their respective championship events in response to the coronavirus. The HCAC's ruling came with support from the presidents of its 10 member institutions.

After its annual trip to Florida, the Defiance baseball team was 7-3 overall in 2020, its best 10-game start to a season in 31 years when the 1989 squad opened with a 7-2-1 record. Now, the Jackets finish with seven wins in 10 contests for a .700 winning percentage, their top mark in 52 years after the 1968 club went 19-8 (.704).

In softball, DC ends the 2020 campaign at 5-9 overall. None of the other spring sports programs at Defiance – men's golf, women's golf, men's tennis, men's outdoor track and field, and women's outdoor track and field – were able to get their seasons underway.

For more information on Defiance College's continued response to COVID-19, please visit: http://www.defiance.edu/information/covid-19-coronavirus-updates.html

For more information on the HCAC's latest response to COVID-19, please visit: https://www.heartlandconf.org/general/2019-20/releases/20200318o0fpic