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LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Board of Directors announced its return to competition guidelines and scheduling concepts for Spring 2021.
The PSAC has adopted the requirement that each of its member institutions will follow the NCAA Guidelines according to the NCAA Sport Science Institute in regard to returning to play amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.
“We are very pleased that we are able to move forward with our plans for this semester,” said PSAC Commissioner, Steve Murray. “Everyone at our member institutions has done an exceptional job getting us to this point and we are all excited to make it happen. We will remain vigilant to the circumstances of COVID-19 across our league and make changes as necessary, but for now we are very positive about returning to competition.”
The safety and well-being of the student-athletes, coaches and athletic personnel remains the focus of the PSAC. As such, the league will require ongoing COVID-19 surveillance testing using NCAA guidelines in each of the league’s spring sports including baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, women’s lacrosse and outdoor track & field, along with the league’s upcoming championships in men’s and women’s cross country and men’s and women’s swimming.
Spectators
The ability to have spectators in attendance at events hosted on campuses is determined by each institution in coordination with institutional, local, state and national guidelines. Spectators will be required to wear masks while in attendance. They are also required to maintain social distancing while in attendance. Based on gathered information to date, spectator policies for each PSAC institution are listed below:
Each institution’s spectator policy is subject to change. For more information regarding spectators and masking, see the information below or visit the links for further detail on a specific institution.
*Chart below last updated 2/26
| Institution | Are Spectators Permitted to be in Attendance at Athletic Events on Campus? |
| Bloomsburg | Spectators will not be allowed at events. |
| Cal U | Spectators are allowed. Baseball will be limited to 320 total. |
| Clarion | Participant pass list only. |
| East Stroudsburg | Spectators at events is to be determined. |
| Edinboro | Four per student-athlete for outdoor events only. No spectators permitted at indoor events. Outdoor spectators must be on a pre-approved guest list. |
| Gannon | Currently, no spectators are allowed in attendance at sporting events hosted on the Gannon campus due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Access to the facility is limited to participating teams and those workers whose duties are essential to the contest. Gannon will continue to reassess and monitor this policy as the pandemic and environment changes. |
| IUP | Spectators will be allowed at events. |
| Kutztown | Spectators will not be allowed at events. |
| Lock Haven | Spectators will not be allowed at events. |
| Mansfield | Yes, spectators will be permitted. They must wear masks at all times and maintain social distancing. |
| Mercyhurst | Spectators will not be allowed at events. |
| Millersville | Spectators are limited to only Millersville student-athlete family. |
| UPJ | Spectators will be limited to 400 for baseball and 200 for softball. |
| Seton Hill | Yes, spectators will be permitted. They must wear masks at all times and maintain social distancing. |
| Shepherd | Spectators at events is still to be determined. |
| Shippensburg | Fans will be limited. More details to come. |
| Slippery Rock | Spectators will be limited to a specific number of students per student-athlete for outdoor events only. No spectators permitted indoor. |
| West Chester | Spectators will not be allowed at events. |
In terms of PSAC scheduled competition, spring sports regular seasons are set to begin currently, with PSAC competition for each sport as followed:
| Sport | Regular Season | Championship Format |
| Baseball | Conference regular season games begin Friday, March 12 and will end Saturday, May 8. | 8 teams qualify, 4 from each division beginning Wednesday, May 12: Wednesday, May 12: Quarterfinal – Single Elimination. On campus site, #4 at #1 and #3 at #2; all games within the division. Sun-Mon, May 16-17: Semifinals – Best of 3 Series; On campus site, highest Quarterfinal winner in each division; within the division Fri-Sat, May 21-22: Championship – Best of 3 Series; Semifinal winners; Site TBD |
| Softball | Conference regular season games begin Friday, March 5 and will end Saturday, May 1. | 8 teams qualify, 4 from each division beginning Wed-Thurs, May 5-6: : Quarterfinals – Best of 3 Series. On campus site, #4 at #1 and #3 at #2; all games within the division Sun-Mon, May 9-10: Semifinals – Best of 3 Series at highest remaining seed among each Quarterfinal winner in each division    Fri-Sat, May 14-15: Championship – Best of 3 Series; Semifinal winners; Site TBD |
| Lacrosse | Conference regular season games begin Saturday, March 13 and will end Wednesday, April 28. | 6 teams qualify, 3 from each division beginning Saturday, May 1 Saturday, May 1 – Quarterfinals: #3 at #2 within division Wednesday, May 5 – Semifinals: Round 1 winner at #1 seed within division Saturday May 8 – Championship: Semifinal winners; Site TBD |
| Men’s and Women’s Tennis | Conference regular season matches begin Saturday March 20 for the men and Saturday, March 27 for the women. They end on Saturday, April 24. The women’s quarterfinals are April 27, the men’s and women’s semifinals are April 30. | Men’s 4 teams qualify, beginning Tuesday, April 27 Semifinals: #4 at #1; #3 at #2 (no divisional play in Men’s Tennis) Friday, April 30 – Championship: Semifinal winners; Site at top remaining seed Women’s Saturday, April 24 – Quarterfinals: #3 at #2 within division Wednesday, April 28 – Semifinals: Round 1 winner at #1 seed within division Saturday, May 1 – Championship: Semifinal winners; Site TBD |
| Men’s and Women’s Golf | The men’s golf regular season is set to begin March 15 and the women will begin March 22 | The golf championships will be April 9-10 at Hershey Country Club. |
| Men’s and Women’s Cross Country | Men’s and women’s cross country did not have a PSAC scheduled regular season | The cross country championships will be March 20 at West Branch Cross Country Course at Stern Athletic Complex |
| Men’s and Women’s Swimming | Men’s and women’s swimming did not have a PSAC scheduled regular season | The swimming championships will be from April 21-24 at the Graham Aquatic Center in York, Pennsylvania. |
| Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field | The men’s and women’s outdoor track & field regular season will begin March 27 | The track & field championships will be held Thurs-Sat, May 6-8 at Shippensburg University |
*All regular season schedules are subject to change.
TO DATE: Spectators will not be allowed at men’s and women’s cross country championships, or men’s and women’s swimming championships. They will be permitted at men’s and women’s golf championships. Spectators being permitted at outdoor track and field championships is still to be decided. All PSAC championship spectator policies are subject to change.
