SLIPPERY ROCK — By majority vote of the league's 18 university presidents, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has decided not to have a mandated fall sports schedule for the 2020-21 academic year.

Sort of.

The decision came during a meeting of the presidents Tuesday afternoon.

There had been consideration of postponing the PSAC fall sports season until the spring. But that idea was voted down.

“It came down to two reasons: safety and the cost of the COVID testing that would have had to be put in place,” Slippery Rock University athletic director Paul Lueken said. “Safety for all concerned, of course, comes first.”

Each individual school would have been responsible for financing the testing.

“To follow NCAA guidelines for testing, it would have cost our university about $350,000 to test all of our fall athletes for a competitive season in the spring,” Lueken said. “Schools are struggling to stay open right now. We couldn't possibly justify that kind of cost given the current economics we'd be dealing with.”

The conference did leave the door open a crack for the possibility of a truncated fall sports season in the spring for men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, women's tennis, field hockey and football.

Should six or more institutions commit to participating in any of those sports, the conference will reinstate a championship season, the PSAC announcement said.

That's what Butler graduate and Shippensburg University sophomore volleyball player Maria Lucas is hoping for.

“Our coach sounded hopeful that at least some of the schools would play a six-game season,” Lucas said. “It would still be competing for a PSAC championship. That's the only case where this decision will be overturned.”

A decision on whether to move forward with the PSAC winter sports season will be made early next week. The regular spring sports season is currently set to begin on schedule.

SRU will move forward with its 15 spring football workouts and practices in 2021. The Rock had no spring football activity in 2020.

“We haven't even put a helmet on since the Minnesota State game,” Rock football coach Shawn Lutz said, referencing the NCAA Div. II semifinal loss on Dec. 14, 2019.

All seniors have been granted another year of athletic eligibility because of COVID-19. Lueken said seniors in many sports at SRU will likely move on.

“Football is a little different,” he said. “Those seniors look like they are all coming back. They feel like they have some unfinished business.”

Lutz sees that as a positive — academically and well as athletically.

“More than half of those guys will be graduating on schedule this year, “ the coach said. “That group can now come back, go get their masters degrees and still be on scholarship while they're doing it. That's one positive thing this COVID situation has created, anyway.”

Lutz is confident the Green and White spring football game will take place in April.

“I am optimistic,” he said. “We are going to get our work in this spring, with testing, and I'm excited about that.”

Lueken emphasized that, should the COVID situation improve, fall sports teams could get together on their own and play a game or two in the spring.

“Workouts will continue,” Lueken said. “The conference just isn't having a championship season. That doesn't mean a few schools can't get together and play, if it's deemed safe to do so.”

Lucas said the Shippensburg volleyball team is continuing to practice in case there is something resembling a season.

She said, though, it is a difficult situation because she and her teammates have no idea what they are preparing for.

“We just don't know,” Lucas said. “I'd be so grateful just to play at all. I just miss competition. It's been over a year now since I've played against another team.

“We've had no cases on our team. We've been washing our hands all the time, masks on all the time. We were hoping that would lead to a whole season. Now we're just stuck. We don't know what to think.”

Lucas knows what she is feeling, however.

Saddened.

Confused.

Heartsick.

“It's just so hard seeing the high schools and the Division Is play and being told we can't,” Lucas said.

“That's one thing that my friends, teammates and a lot of the student athletes here struggle with. We know we're not a huge school. We know we're not bringing in a ton of money. But we're still athletes. We're still in the NCAA. It's just hard not having the opportunity others are getting.”