Salisbury University coaches Dawn Chamberlin and Sherman Wood didn’t hide their excitement. 

Neither thought their respective teams would take the field during the 2020-21 academic year.

However, on Thursday, SU fall sports squads were permitted to practice, taking part in official athletic action for the first time since March.

“Today was like a game day for me,” said Chamberlin who is entering her 34th season with the Salisbury field hockey team. “I’ve had game day jitters, I’ve been pacing around, haven’t been able to focus, and I’m just so excited to be able to get out here and work with them.”

In March, the COVID-19 pandemic halted college athletics around the nation.

As the United States’ case count continued to rise, NCAA conferences began to address the 2020 fall season. Many opted to postpone due to the ongoing threat.

That included the Capital Athletic Conference and the New Jersey Athletic Conference — the two associations Salisbury participates in. The NJAC houses SU’s football team, while all other sports belong to the CAC.

No official decision has been made by either conference regarding when the fall sports season will commence — many expect it to be moved to some point in the spring like other NCAA conferences have announced.

READ MORE: Salisbury University president: ‘We intend to remain open’

BACKGROUND: Salisbury University suspends fall sports in Capital Athletic Conference

That hasn’t stopped coaches like Wood and Chamberlin from gearing up for a potential season.

As heads of two of the most successful programs at SU — Chamberlin has won four national titles and Wood recently led the Sea Gulls’ football team to the Elite Eight —ensuring their athletes are ready come game day is one of their top priorities.

“We want to take advantage of these opportunities,” Wood said. “We’re not taking anything for granted. We’re going to work as if there is a game each week. That’s our mentality right now.”

Keeping up the intensity 

Although the objective’s the same, practices look different compared to other years.

Athletes are required to wear masks and social distance, while teams must follow other local health department guidelines and restrictions.

Unlike other members of the campus community, athletes are given COVID-19 tests every two weeks.

Training and workouts also became difficult as facilities like Maggs Physical Activities Center and the University Fitness Club closed down due to a spike in positive cases. Both facilities have since reopened, as SU currently sits with 0.8% positivity rate over the past seven days.

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Salisbury’s overall positivity rate sits at 5.67% dating back to Aug. 11. According to the university’s COVID-19 dashboard, over 6,600 tests have been administered to students, faculty and staff.

“We intend to remain open, but we all have to work together,” SU president Charles Wight said in a Sept. 17 briefing.

While Salisbury officials worry about containing the spread, athletes are focused on redeveloping their skills – something that could be challenging after nearly eight months of no official competition.

McKenzie Mitchell is a junior on the Sea Gulls’ field hockey team, coming off a season where she scored 12 goals and helped SU to the NCAA semifinals.

Just two years remain in Mitchell’s collegiate career. Should no fall season take place during the current academic year, it’s likely the NCAA will grant athletes an additional year of eligibility much like they have to spring athletes who had the bulk of their season taken away in March.

But Mitchell’s only concerned with the present, hoping to elevate her game to a height that will help Salisbury bring home its first national championship since 2009.  

“This whole situation is great because we’re going to make it great,” she said. “Going into every practice, we just have to keep the intensity up and come out better than we were before.”

For Chamberlin, while the opportunity to return to the field is exciting from an athletic standpoint, she understands the benefit the slight return to normalcy will have on her players’ mental health.

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Many athletes — regardless of the sport — have sat wondering when a season will officially begin.

When Chamberlin shared with her team they’d be allowed to participate in limited practice, only smiles could be seen around the room.

“I don’t think people really understand the whole mental aspect of it for our student athletes,” she said. “Athletics is such an integral part of their life, and it’s been ripped away. We’re going in the right direction right now and can continue down this path and keep them focused.”

Due to the size of his team, Wood has divided his players into two groups, holding different practice times to limit interaction athletes have with one another.

For Wood, the restrictions put in place don’t act as a burden.

He looks at the positives.

By having two smaller groups, the longtime football coach can better evaluate his players and see which ones are ready for starting roles.

“You can’t ask for a better situation for that individual attention — that one-on-one situation with the kids is a big plus for their development,” Wood said. “This has been great. There’s really nothing negative about it.”

Finding the positives 

Those spots on the wall where coaches typically hang schedules is blank.

Though it’s unclear when any SU team will take the field for official competition, it hasn’t stopped the players and coaches from rediscovering their passion for the game.

It’s different, but it’s still sports.

“We can make this opportunity the best it can be with our attitudes,” Mitchell said. “Being out here with the team is really amazing, because I don’t know what I’d do without them or the coaches.”