The Atlantic Colleges Athletic Association (ACAA) announced today that they have made the difficult decision to cancel its first semester sports season in light of Covid-19 health and safety considerations for its student-athletes, coaches and athletics staff.

For Holland College, the decision to cancel first semester sports affects men’s and women’s soccer and cross country running, as well as exhibition and early season competitions for men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, and women’s hockey. Additionally, the Atlantic Football League and the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball Association have cancelled their 2020 seasons, thus affecting football and baseball teams.

Holland College president, Dr. Sandy MacDonald expressed disappointment with the loss of fall sports.

“To say we are disappointed with these decisions is an understatement. Holland Hurricanes varsity and club teams are a great source of pride for our college, and the athletics program provides student-athletes with the opportunity to participate in high-level competition and continue their academic path. Holland Hurricanes teams have helped to increase the profile of Holland College and we have been proud to host regional and national championships here. Above all, we want our student-athletes to know that we are committed to athletics for the long-term, and for them, this will be a time to focus on training and preparing for when their time arrives to compete,” he said.

Holland College will be collaborative as it works with the chief public health office, sport organizations, and stakeholders to build a recovery plan in the summer months to ultimately get back to collegiate sport as soon as possible.

Albert Roche, Director of Athletics at Holland College thinks that the pause could open new areas of competition.

“We believe this event forces us to be innovative and creative in our attempts to sustain and grow our existing sports and develop new options for our students. We will exhaust every opportunity to continue building our Hurricanes brand and the student-athlete experience in any capacity this coming year at Holland College,” he said.

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