Photo from 2019 courtesy of Sports Information
By Dustin Waleff, Sports Editor
On Tuesday July 7, the Centennial Conference announced the cancellation of all fall sports for the upcoming semester as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which affects only the football team at Susquehanna.
The River Hawks football team was looking to build off a strong 2019 season in which the team went 10-1, winning their third straight Centennial-MAC bowl game as well as being ranked in the top-25 of the NCAA Division III football rankings.
Director of Athletics Sharief Hashim said he is not yet sure how this will impact eligibility.
“We’re still working through the eligibility conversation. The NCAA may weigh in, etc. As you can imagine, this is unprecedented. We simply don’t know yet.,” Hashim said in an email.
The cancellation has members of the team questioning what will come next for their athletic and academic careers.
“When I heard the news the other day, I was heartbroken. I am still having trouble accepting the fact that I will not be on the field with my brothers in the fall,” said senior wide receiver Kyle Good.
“I’m trying to stay as positive as possible and looking forward to playing in the spring. If not, I will hopefully be able to take a fifth year in order to finish out my football career. It just wouldn’t be right to not finish what was started here with these guys, however, the goal is still to have a season in the spring.”
The River Hawks athletics department is still looking at other possibilities to keep the football program engaged, even though the season has been cancelled.
“We want to be optimistic through this process,” Hashim said. “We want to explore all of our options, including fall practice in preparation for a spring season. It’s too early to comment on anything else right now. Our goal is to provide the best possible experience for our student athletes while facilitating safe and healthy engagement.”
Junior linebacker Brendan Krumenacker is remaining positive moving forward for the River Hawk football program.
Krumenacker said, “Hopefully we can return back to Susquehanna in the fall, there we can be back as a team where there is competitive sense in the weight room and player can compete against one another. Also, we can hopefully look forward to some sort of ‘Spring Football’ but in the fall. When the team is together the coaches implement drills to keep up competition. Which will keep us on edge for next year.”
Currently football is the only athletic program on Susquehanna’s campus to be cancelled for the season, as the Landmark Conference is still intending to play all fall sports in some capacity upon students returning to campus.
“Currently, the Landmark Conference is planning for a return to sport participation this fall,” said Hashim. “We have to plan for as many scenarios as possible, rely on federal and state guidelines and do what’s best for our student athletes.”