PSAC suspends competitions for fall semester

The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced Wednesday morning it is suspending all conference athletic events and championships through the fall semester because of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.

The conference said it plans to shift fall sports to the spring semester if a return to competition can be done safely.

The conference’s Board of Directors reached the decision through a vote on Tuesday.

“The entire conference has worked hard these last few months to prepare for the return of sports to our campuses beginning this fall,” PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray said in a release. “However, it has become apparent that the safe conduct of sports under the guidelines of social distancing is untenable for our members.

“We cannot place our student-athletes at greater risk than the general student body. Despite our planning and collective efforts, it has become clear that we are not able to do so.”

The decision impacts all fall sports teams, as well as the schedules for winter sports teams through the end of 2020.

Schools affected are Slippery Rock, Mercyhurst, Clarion, Seton Hill, Cal U (Pa), Indiana University of Pa., Edinboro, Gannon and Pitt-Johnstown, as well as Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, East Stroudsburg, Bloomsburg, Shippensburg, West Chester, Kutztown and Shepherd (W.Va).

The conference and its member schools plan to develop guidelines for skill instruction and strength and conditioning activities under social distancing protocols by the end of the summer.

“We are committed to giving our student-athletes the chance to compete during this academic year,” said Geraldine Jones, president of Cal U (Pa.) and the recently elected chair of the PSAC Board of Directors, in the release. ““Many institutions and conferences are facing the same circumstances as we are, and if it is safe to return to competition, we will work with them and the NCAA to provide our teams with a championship experience during the spring semester.

“We know this is a huge disappointment for our student-athletes who work so very hard in their sport. This decision was not taken lightly, and we feel saddened by having to do so.”

PSAC’s decision to cancel its fall sports season comes in the wake of several other NCAA conferences, including the Division I Patriot League and Ivy League, calling off their fall seasons. Locally, Carnegie Mellon last week announced its decision to cancel the season for 10 of its fall sports.

Other conferences, including the Big Ten and PAC 12, as well as the local Division III Presidents Athletic Conference moved to conference-only schedules for the fall seasons.

“We know our student-athletes, who are eager to compete, are going to be disappointed that we will not have a ‘normal’ fall semester,” said Dr. Wendy Snodgrass, Clarion’s director of intercollegiate athletics. “However, I want them to know that our leadership group is committed to doing all that we can do to plan for the safe resumption of athletic activity in the fall and, hopefully, a return to competition during the spring semester.”