The Eastern Connecticut Conference's postseason cross country meets, scheduled for Wednesday at Harkness Memorial State Park and Woodstock Academy, were canceled Friday due to concerns related to COVID-19.

The season-ending meets were to be held in three sessions, with each of the league's divisions holding its own championship. It was part of the ECC's plan to give each fall sport a postseason experience in spite of the pandemic.

ECC cross country chairman Kevin Burke, the athletic director at Bacon Academy, said the decision to cancel was made mid-morning by league commissioner Gary Makowicki along with the ECC's executive committee.

"It's hard and I understand," Burke said in a telephone interview. "The league made a decision. I kind of felt it was going to go that direction. It's just the times we're living in right now.

"The direction southeastern Connecticut is going with COVID, it's probably not the smartest thing to put more people together."

In lieu of the ECC championship meets, the league is allowing each team to compete in one extra dual meet Wednesday, which will include the first meet of the season for Norwich Free Academy. NFA is coming out of a lengthy hiatus due to the coronavirus.

Burke quickly went about putting that duel meet schedule together, keeping the teams in their regular-season pods, with two meets already affected by COVID-19 - contests involving Fitch and Lyman Memorial - before the day was over.

He also had the unenviable job of passing down the news to Bacon junior Jordan Malloy, the two-time ECC champion. He went first to tell Malloy's mom, Marycia, who works at the school.

"Her mom works in the nurse's office at Bacon Academy. I went upstairs. She said, 'Coach already came up and told me,'" Burke said. "I know (Malloy) wanted to go up and challenge herself against some of the better runners in the league. She wanted to challenge herself against some of the best.

"... I wanted to try to put something together (with the dual meets) for one last hurrah."

Earlier this week, the ECC's postseason football combine, to be held Saturday at New London High School in order to allow high school players to perform in front of prospective college coaches, was postponed.

In addition, the ECC swimming championship, originally scheduled to be held in person Nov. 7 at East Lyme, will be held virtually. Each team in the league will schedule a time to swim at the East Lyme pool — for the sake of consistency — and submit its results to be scored.

Ssaid Burke: "I get it. I don't feel it's a terrible thing. We're just trying to keep people safe."

v.fulkerson@theday.com