GREENVILLE, N.C. – Citing significant imminent safety concerns, ECU has decided it will not travel to Blacksburg for Saturday’s football game against Virginia Tech due to the forecast track of Hurricane Florence that includes the high probability of a catastrophic impact on the region and perilous travel conditions before, during and after the storm.

Florence, a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 140 mph, is projected by the National Hurricane Center to maintain its track for landfall on the North Carolina coast before affecting the Greenville area with flood-producing rainfall and destructive winds as early as Thursday. The storm is predicted to be more severe than anything the University has experienced in nearly 20 years and its impact could be unprecedented.

The safety and welfare for everyone in the path of this storm is the University’s main priority and decisions regarding athletics events are made in the best interest of ensuring the safety of student-athletes, coaches, staff and their families. In fact, all ECU athletics teams are prohibited from traveling for competition purposes this weekend. This is also consistent with the NCAA’s requirement that member institutions protect the health of and provide a safe environment for student-athletes.

It is ECU’s hope the game can be rescheduled at a later date this season.