OSWEGO, N.Y. – State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras announced on Tuesday, Feb. 23, that the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) will resume spring sports with the return of baseball, men's and women's lacrosse, softball, women's tennis, and men's and women's outdoor track & field.
The first SUNYAC conference contests will take place on Saturday, March 20, when Cortland visits Plattsburgh and Oneonta hosts Potsdam in women's lacrosse.
On Jan. 20, 2021, Malatras sent a letter to the SUNYAC asking the league to develop a plan for the possible resumption of spring athletic competition. Over the past month, the conference convened more than 50 stakeholders including campus presidents, athletic administrators, coaches, sports information directors, assignors of officials, certified athletic trainers and health experts to develop a plan. On Monday evening, Feb. 22, the final plan was adopted by the SUNYAC, which includes the following:
- Conference will be split into East/West divisions to limit travel and overnight stays
- Masks worn at all times by athletes, coaches, officials, except for athletes during competition
- No spectators pursuant to New York State Department of Health guidance
- Regular weekly testing/COVID symptom checks prior to competition
- Prior to road games, athletes will be tested within three days of departure
- No eating, masks worn on buses for travel; bus capacity reduced to 50 percent
- No handshakes, group celebrations or pre- or post-interaction with opposing team
The plan also includes that rising COVID positivity rates could delay or pause competition.
The full SUNYAC operational plans may be found online here and here. Leading up to spring sports, SUNY also unveiled a new video from SUNY Brockport, a SUNYAC campus, as a part of its #MaskUpSUNY campaign to keep campuses safe for the spring semester. The spring campaign will star SUNYAC student athletes as they prepare to get back in the game and can be found online here. Other SUNYAC campuses include: Buffalo State, Cortland, Fredonia, Geneseo, New Paltz, Oneonta, Oswego, Plattsburgh, and Potsdam.
"The pandemic has kept our student athletes off the playing field for too long, but thanks to the great work and effort of SUNYAC Commissioner Tom DiCamillo, our campus presidents, the SUNYAC leadership, athletic directors, coaches, and our athletes, we've developed a workable plan to resume athletic competition at SUNY," Malatras said. "I look forward to all of the great competition this year, and SUNY, like always, will aggressively handle any situations related to COVID as they emerge. I have confidence in our students - both on and off the field - to stay the course and comply to keep one another and our entire campuses and communities safe."
SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley, whose institution hosted the press conference on Tuesday afternoon inside the Romney Field House, echoed the chancellor's comments.
"I want to thank and acknowledge the dedication, tenacity, and insight of Chancellor Malatras, our SUNYAC presidents, and Conference Commissioner Tom DiCamillo, as well as SUNY Oswego Athletic Directors Eric Summers and Dan Kane and our campus coaches for their hard work in producing a plan for spring 2021 that is feasible, while still being highly focused on safety," she said. "I want to especially note that our athletes have been part of an amazing effort to stay strong, well, and ready to compete. We know it has taken the commitment of all our students to step up and play a critical role in helping to mitigate the spread of the virus on the Oswego campus and in the greater community."
The positive impact of the decision was felt by the student-athletes practicing in the field house, including senior Myles Felton, a member of the Oswego baseball team.
"We know this wasn't an easy decision, and my teammates and I are thankful and beyond excited. This is what we have dedicated so much of our time to do - compete. We are ready to play and will continue to do what we can to keep each other safe."
"I applaud Chancellor Malatras' announcement today allowing for SUNYAC spring sports to resume," Oswego Mayor William J. Barlow said. "SUNY's safety protocols and aggressive testing infrastructure have proven, over and over, to be effective and serves as the main reason sports can safely re-start this spring. I'm confident our student-athletes will act responsibly and know that re-starting SUNY Oswego's athletic program is an important component to our SUNY community and, as a result, the entire Oswego community."
SUNY Cortland President Erik Bitterbaum, Chair of the SUNYAC's President's Council, thanked all of those who worked tirelessly to develop the plan.
"Athletics is an important aspect of student life at SUNY Cortland and all SUNYAC institutions. I am grateful to the dozens of individuals who worked to create a plan that will allow SUNYAC teams to safely resume competition, and immensely proud of our student-athletes, who I know will make the most of this opportunity."
SUNYAC Commissioner Tom DiCamillo outlined the process of creating the plan.
"This plan has come together after consultation with SUNYAC presidents and experts across the campuses, as well as close partnership with our local health officials. It includes a thorough strategy to keep players, coaches, and personnel safe, and we are pleased to get the season started for more of our SUNYAC teams. My thanks to Chancellor Malatras for his support."
The scheduling plan includes a divisional setup that roughly uses Interstate 81 as the dividing line. The SUNYAC will employ a double round-robin format in the sports of women's lacrosse and softball that features the following alignment:
- East Division: Cortland, New Paltz, Oneonta, Plattsburgh, Potsdam
- West Division: Brockport, Buffalo State, Fredonia, Geneseo, Oswego
Since Buffalo State and Fredonia do not sponsor men's lacrosse, Cortland will compete in the West Division under the following alignment with the SUNYAC men's lacrosse teams also playing in a double round-robin format:
- East Division: New Paltz, Oneonta, Plattsburgh, Potsdam
- West Division: Brockport, Cortland, Geneseo, Oswego
Buffalo State and Potsdam do not sponsor women's tennis; therefore, the women's tennis schedule will feature a double round-robin format with the following divisional set up:
- East Division: Cortland, New Paltz, Oneonta, Plattsburgh
- West Division: Brockport, Fredonia, Geneseo, Oswego
The championship format for men's and women's lacrosse, softball and women's tennis will feature the top two teams in each division advancing with a crossover semifinal round. Softball's semifinal and championship rounds will be best-of-3 series, while women's tennis semifinals and championship will take place all in one day at a predetermined site (Cortland)
The SUNYAC does not sponsor a conference schedule for outdoor track & field; however, the championships also will be hosted by Cortland due to its outstanding facility and central location.
Baseball is unique due to its seven-team SUNYAC structure. There will be two divisions with some strategic interdivisional play based on geography – similar to how Major League Baseball devises interleague play.
The division winners will advance to the playoffs along with the teams that own the next two best records. All games will count in divisional standings with the semifinal and championship rounds using a best-of-3 series format. The divisional set up for baseball will be the following:
- East Division: Cortland, New Paltz, Oneonta, Plattsburgh
- West Division: Brockport, Fredonia, Oswego
About the SUNYAC
The SUNYAC is an NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletic conference featuring 10 full-member SUNY institutions (Brockport, Buffalo State, Cortland, Fredonia, Geneseo, New Paltz, Oneonta, Oswego, Plattsburgh and Potsdam) and one affiliate (Morrisville) that sponsors 20 championships (9 men's, 11 women's). There are more than 4,500 student athletes that compete in the SUNYAC with nearly 1,800 competing in the spring.
About The State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY's 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, the state's only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.3 million students in credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide were more than $1.0 billion in fiscal year 2020, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu.
