By: SU Sports Information
This page will be updated with pertinent information related to those involved with Shippensburg University Athletics as it becomes available.
All Shippensburg University intercollegiate athletic contests have been suspended through Dec. 31, 2020. This decision was made in accordance with a directive by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Board of Directors issued on the morning of Wednesday, July 15.
The PSAC has released a set of student-athlete FAQs, which are available HERE.
August 31, 2020
Shippensburg University student-athletes have been permitted to resume a specified amount of countable athletically related activities (CARA) each week, provided that their teams have adhered to the guidelines set forth by the department of athletics. Several teams began organized workouts on Monday.
The majority of SU's participation in CARA comprises workouts designed by
Dennis Kerstetter, head strength & conditioning coach. Occasional workouts, led by Kerstetter, will be conducted at Seth Grove Stadium and its surrounding practice fields.
The department of sports medicine worked diligently to prepare the student-athletes for the resumption of CARA. Among the myriad responsibilities of the sports medicine staff members in recent weeks included the completion of the physical review process, the collection and processing all pre-participation paperwork, and conducting all of the necessary testings and screenings to allow student-athletes to participate in CARA.
Monitoring takes place on a daily basis. Student-athletes and coaches utilize a new app that requires daily temperature self-checks and health tests to be completed before any participation in CARA can take place. Student-athletes have been advised of the necessary health protocols for CARA participation and for arriving and departing the weight room.
August 5, 2020
NCAA Division II Release
Division II's seven fall 2020 championships are canceled, the Division II Presidents Council decided Wednesday, due to the operational, logistical and financial challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. They will not be rescheduled.
Meanwhile, at the PSAC level, athletic administrators and conference officials continue to develop drafts toward Spring 2021 sports schedules while gathering feedback from constituent groups regarding the planning for fall activities. The NCAA's August 5 announcement included new guidance to Division II conferences.
July 27, 2020
NCAA Resocialization of Collegiate Sport from the Sports Science Institute
NCAA Sport Science Institute: Resocialization Checklist
NCAA Sport Science Institute: Core Principles of Resocialization FAQs
July 15, 2020
FAQs:
* What about practice sessions and strength and conditioning workouts for fall sports?
Per the PSAC's release, "The Conference and its member institutions will develop guidelines for all teams to continue individual skill instruction as well as strength and conditioning activities under social distancing protocols by the end of the summer."
* What about practice sessions and workouts for winter and spring sports?
Per the PSAC's release, "The determination as to when winter and spring sports may begin workouts and practices will be considered at a later date."
* I have an NCAA eligibility question. Who should I contact?
Student-athletes with questions related to NCAA eligibility should contact
Ashley Grimm, associate director of athletics, at AJGrimm@ship.edu.
* What will the 2021 schedules look like?
Revised schedules for competition in 2021 are being developed by the PSAC and will be posted once they are approved and made official.
Announcements from March 2020
#WhoWeAreRaiders Series (March 16, 2020)
Beginning March 16, we are profiling one student-athlete per day on social media. This gives a voice to our student-athletes who do not currently have an avenue or platform at the moment. The posts go live on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram daily at 9 a.m. An example is below.
To Student-Athletes in need of Sports Medicine Assistance (March 13, 2020):
Shippensburg University's Department of Sports Medicine encourages any student-athlete who may be dealing with an athletic injury to reach out to an athletic trainer via e-mail. Contact information is listed below. The Department of Sports Medicine is committed to the necessary rehabilitation and care of our student-athletes, so that when the time comes that we are allowed to return to the playing fields, student-athletes will be ready to participate.
Wes Mallicone, Director (
wrmall@ship.edu) •
Becky Fitz, Associate Director (
rsfitz@ship.edu)
Miranda Fisher, Assistant Director (
msfisher@ship.edu) •
Tanya Miller, Assistant Director (
tlmiller@ship.edu)
The following is a message from Jeff Michaels, Director of Athletics, that was addressed to the student-athletes (March 13, 2020):
Good morning. Earlier today, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Board of Directors provided the above announcement. As you can see, the main point of the message is that all competitions during the remainder of the spring semester have been
cancelled due to COVID-19.
This action is one that was not made lightly and great consideration went into the decision. The health and safety of all students and personnel on all of our campuses and in our communities are of utmost importance.
With that said, it does not take away the disappointment of losing out on our teams' various seasons. I am tremendously disappointed for all student-athletes within our spring sports as well as our winter student-athletes who had NCAA championships
cancelled yesterday. This is especially the case for our seniors. Nothing I type here will make any of this any better. However, I want to thank all of our student-athletes who have worked diligently to continually represent this department and institution in the best ways possible academically, athletically, and in the community. I will never be able to express enough gratitude.
Feel free to reach out to the athletics administration or your coaches with any questions. I met with department staff a short time ago, and they are aware of any information we have.
Thanks again for being such great representatives of our institution.
The following is a statement from the PSAC (March 13, 2020):
In light of the latest news regarding COVID-19, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) has announced that all athletic competition for the remainder of the Spring Semester is suspended, effective immediately.
Any non-conference competitions already traveled to are left to institutional discretion through March 15, at which time all athletic competition must cease.
In addition, all countable related athletic activities (CARA) are suspended until March 30 at which time the Board of Directors will review a proposal from the Athletics Administrators to permit or suspend CARA for the remainder of the semester.
The following is a statement from the NCAA (March 12, 2020):
Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men's and women's 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities.
