Wolverine sports are back this spring, with Grove City College’s NCAA Div. III varsity athletes competing against Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) rivals in a season like no other.
After COVID-19 put a halt to the fall sports season, PAC leaders agreed to shift all fall sports to spring play, which means just about every Grove City College team will be taking to the field, court, track or pool this semester.
“It is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since our teams last competed against other colleges,” Director of Athletics Todd Gibson ’02 said. “The opening tip-offs for men’s and women’s basketball and the initial dives back into the pool for swimming against other schools we will truly be cause for celebration.”
Student-athletes are returning to competition with protocols in place to safeguard the health and safety of student-athletes throughout the College’s programs, from football to diving to soccer and softball. Athletes are regularly tested for COVID-19 and their health is closely monitored under a plan developed by Grove City College and other PAC schools.
Gibson said he’s excited about the return of intercollegiate athletic competition – and grateful. “We are thankful for the sacrifices that so many have made to make these competitions a reality,” he said.
The collective Wolverines season begins with men’s and women’s basketball and swimming and diving kicking things off in February against Waynesburg and Bethany, respectively. Over the next few months, almost every team on campus will play against conference opponents in slightly abbreviated seasons.
At this time spectators will not be permitted at athletic events, to the PAC’s pandemic guidelines. Plans are coming together to broadcast games online in a new format, Gibson said.
Complete spring schedules for all sports are available on the Athletic Department’s website: athletics.gcc.edu.
Due to the extraordinary disruptions related to COVID-19, the PAC and the PAC Presidents' Council understand that plans for returning to competition are subject to change at any time based on available public health best practices and approaches or local, state and federal guidelines, recommendations or mandates.