Q & A: USC Aiken athletic director discusses fall sports schedule
Pacer Times conducted an interview with Jim Herlihy, the athletic director for USC Aiken, who provided an update on scheduling for sports in the fall.
Q: How does pre-season practice look for sports at USCA? And what changes are being made to the practices?
A: USCA will continue to make the best data-driven decisions possible. We will continue to monitor the information and recommendations provided to us by healthcare experts, as well as the guidance from university administration, our conference staff and NCAA staff. As of now, we are planning to be up and running for practices at the beginning of the fall semester.
Q: Are there any changes to fall sports schedules?
A: There have been no discussions at this point about changing the fall sports schedules within the conference or in NCAA DII. Our scheduling philosophy is based on regional competition, so our travel is somewhat limited compared to DI institutions. Our head coaches are currently working to finalize our 2020-21 schedules in all sports, and we should announce most of those in our normal late spring timeline.
Q: For out of state/country athletes, what does pre-season practice and fall season look like for them?
A: While we expect our pre-season practice and fall season to be on our normal schedule, we are aware of international travel restrictions for some of those who were able to travel back home. We have continued to remain in communication with all of our student-athletes, including the international students. Our focus is to make sure that their health and safety remain paramount and we will work with them on individual circumstances within the health care guidelines in place at that time.
“Our sports medicine staff, as well as our Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, have been in frequent communication with student-athletes to follow up on injury rehabs/prevention and to customize at-home workout routines to help them maintain their fitness levels and skill development.”
Herlihy also concluded that all of the senior spring student-athletes who are participating in golf, baseball and softball are being given an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA, as long as they met the normal conditions for eligibility. This will give students the chance to choose this option post-graduation.
