Jul 8, 2020 3 min read

CMU cancels fall sports

Carnegie Mellon University will not participate in intercollegiate athletics this fall, the school announced Wednesday.

“Over the past few months, we have explored every possible avenue for a safe return to play,” athletic director Josh Centor said in an e-mail to CMU student-athletes. “In the message that I wrote to you last month, I noted that the health and safety of our students, staff and community members are at the forefront of every decision we make. With that as our guiding principle, we cannot appropriately return to sport at this time.”

The fall decision includes participation in cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, football and volleyball. Decisions on winter and spring sports have not yet been made.

The announcement comes on the heels of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference decision Tuesday to allow only intra-conference contests this fall for its league members. CMU is a provisional member of the PAC in football. The Tartans were scheduled to play Sept. 26 at Waynesburg and Nov. 7 at Washington & Jefferson.

Pony baseball

Cross Wood edged Canon-Mac No. 2 in a Founder’s Pony league game Tuesday, 10-8.

Jake Phillips hit a home run and earned a save to back the winning pitching of Tyler McAdams.

Kolton Smittle homered for C-M.

Johnson OK’d to race at Kentucky

Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has twice tested negative for the coronavirus and will race Sunday at Kentucky Speedway.

Johnson missed the first race of his Cup career when he tested positive last Friday. He was tested after his wife received a positive result.

Hendrick Motorsports said Johnson tested negative on Monday and Tuesday and will return to the No. 48 Chevrolet at Kentucky. NASCAR confirmed Wednesday that Johnson has been cleared to return.

“It’s been an emotional journey and I’m so happy to be back,” he tweeted.

Johnson’s streak of 663 consecutive starts – most among active drivers – was snapped when he didn’t race Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Justin Allgaier replaced him at the Brickyard 400 and finished 37th after an early multi-car crash on pit road.

Stanford drops 11 sports

Stanford was already facing some difficult financial choices as it tried to support one of the nation’s largest athletics departments.

The coronavirus forced a dramatic and painful decision: Faced with a nearly $25 million deficit next year, Stanford became the first known Power Five school to eliminate athletic programs because of the pandemic, announcing Wednesday that 11 of its 36 varsity sports will be shuttered next year.

The school will discontinue men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling after the 2020-21 academic year. Stanford also is eliminating 20 support staff positions.