The Big East Conference has announced that fall sports will undergo a new format to save on travel costs amid concerns of a second wave of the coronavirus.
The collegiate athletic conference introduced a new regionalized scheduling model for men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball and field hockey.
Soccer and volleyball will be split into two divisions, with teams playing each other twice and volleyball teams playing each other four times.
Both the University of Connecticut and Quinnipiac University are expected to use a similar format for field hockey.
UConn is also expected to announce plans to reduce athletic spending in response to the pandemic.
The coronavirus hit university finances hard. UConn plans to cut 25% of its athletic budget, $10 million, over the next three years.
Canceling the NCAA basketball season alone cost the school $1.3 million.
The proposal is also expected to include the elimination of some of the school’s 24 Division I teams, which is eight more than the NCAA-required amount. There are roughly 650 student-athletes at UConn, many of whom rely on athletic scholarships to attend school.
