By:  Ethan Shew, Lion’s Staff Writer, ebs5527@psu.edu
 

In a year dominated by the Coronavirus, the sports world has been inundated with “what ifs” and “whens.” Penn State Brandywine athletics has also been impacted by the virus leaving many questions without answers. 

 While all 16 teams were able to practice while following all social distancing guidelines up until November 20, they were not able to compete or play any games off-campus.   

Jeff Scarpone, Brandywine’s assistant athletic director, provided additional details for spring play. “While there is no official timeline for a return to play, we are still optimistic about hosting a complete season for all 16 teams. We are working with the PSUAC and the University on the details and will release them when we have confirmation, said Scarpone. 

When asked about the importance of an active spring athletics program to, not only Brandywine but the entire PSUAC, Scarpone replied, “It’s huge for us right now. Men’s and women’s team have been practicing in small groups and doing strength and conditioning workouts. The have been no outbreaks or issues and not even any positive tests so far. We know the importance of keeping athletes safe and healthy but are trying to balance that priority with also giving them athletic experience while still in college.” 

The Lion’s Eye asked how the positive cases in other university leagues around the country, such as Wisconsin University’s football team, who are dealing with 27 positive cases since October 27, influence Brandywine. “We’ve seen positive cases in almost every major conference playing college football right now especially in the SEC. The big thing right now is contact tracing, which references quarantining for athletes who encountered an infected person.  Brandywine is following University Park’s COVID operations manual from the PSUAC that mandates a 14-day quarantine and contact tracing procedures for any positive athlete,” said Scarpone.  

Brandywine’s campus nurse and student affairs department oversee contract tracing for athletes and determine who have been within 6 feet of someone for 10+ minutes in the last 48 hours. A close contact can happen when a large group of students are eating in the dining hall and the virus can be spread that way, possibly resulting in all students being placed in quarantine.  

Brandywine athletic department hasn’t been hurt financially by COVID but has been hit hard in terms of morale —especially to the seniors who have had their last season’s either cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19.  

Scarpone was with the baseball team last spring when they got off a plane and learned that the season was cancelled due to COVID. “It took an emotional toll on everyone, so the PSUAC made the decision that every Brandywine athlete at who cannot compete keeps their year of eligibility, whether they play or not.  Additionally, if a player misses two seasons due to COVID postponement, then they have those two years of eligibility remaining. But that scenario presents a tough choice for the athlete: play or graduate,” said Scarpone.  

It’s safe to say that Brandywine has made the correct choice to suspend all sports and off-campus competition as there are countless examples of bad choices across the sports world, Brandywine has put the health and safety of its student-athletes over money. While a timetable for a return to play is not clear now, the status of the Brandywine Athletic Department is well set up success for years to come.