The Homecoming football game between Colgate and Georgetown, which was scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, October 4 at 1 p.m. at Andy Kerr Stadium, was canceled last night due to an outbreak of the norovirus on the Georgetown University campus. As of yesterday, over 170 Georgetown students have been infected with the norovirus, and eight to ten of those students play for the football team.

“At 5:35 p.m., the Georgetown Athletic Director, Dr. Bernard Muir, gave me a call alerting me to [the outbreak],” Colgate Athletic Director David Roach said. “At 6:15 p.m., the Georgetown Medical Staff called [Colgate Director of Student Health Services] Dr. [Merrill] Miller explaining the situation. [The medical staff] couldn’t allow the football team on the bus because there was a good chance that other players would get it.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, the norovirus is a gastrointestinal infection that causes vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, dehydration, stomach cramps and other symptoms that can last anywhere from one to five days. The disease is highly contagious and can be easily spread through contact with an infected person or contaminated food.

As of now, no make-up date has been announced for the football game, but Mr. Roach and Dr. Muir will be discussing the possibilities with the Patriot League offices today. There are a few scheduling barriers that currently stand in the way of the conference officials and the athletic administrations at the moment, however. Colgate and Georgetown do not have matching bye weeks from now until the end of the regular season on Saturday, November 22, and furthermore, the Division-I FCS playoffs are scheduled to begin during the weekend of November 29, so that date is not an option.

Colgate currently has a 3-2 record with a 1-0 mark in the Patriot League, while Georgetown stands at 1-3 with a 0-2 record in conference play.