SEATTLE – Seattle Pacific's final two home athletic events of the 2019-20 academic year –  the Falcon Regatta and Doris Heritage Track Festival –  have been cancelled, Athletic Director Jackson Stava announced Wednesday.
 
The rowing competition was set for Saturday. The regatta was to include Seattle Pacific, Western Washington, and the University of Central Oklahoma. The UCO administration served notice on Wednesday that its team would not be allowed to travel because of concerns with the spread of the coronavirus disease, even though Seattle Pacific was still approved to host events. Western Washington made a similar decision a short while later.
 
The Doris Heritage Track Festival was slated for Saturday, March 21 with numerous Northwest colleges entered. The track meet was cancelled following Wednesday morning's announcement by Washington governor Jay Inslee that all public events attracting 250 or more people are being banned through the end of March as part of the effort to combat coronavirus.
 
Neither the rowing nor the track will be rescheduled.
 
"While cancelling events is never the desired direction, it was necessary to make these decisions today," Stava said. "As an institution, we must support efforts by Governor Inslee and therefore have made the decision to cancel these events."
 
The NCAA Division II West Regional men's basketball tournament, which begins on Friday at UC San Diego, will proceed as scheduled. The SPU men play a first-round game against Chico State, tipping off at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday's gymnastics meet between the Falcons and the Washington Huskies was canceled on Thursday morning. It will not be rescheduled.

Also, the Falcons will not be competing in in Saturday's PLU Open track and field meet in Tacoma. The meet will take place, but SPU athletes are not making the trip south

Seattle Pacific remains open at this time, although instruction has moved online for the remainder of the winter quarter.
 
More information on university operations is available on this link.