AACC has canceled the spring season for Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Volleyball and Women’s Lacrosse.

AACC Athletics announced the decision to skip the Women’s Lacrosse season on Friday, saying the three other Maryland community colleges with teams in the sport  have called off their seasons.

“There was no way to have a viable schedule for them,” Athletic Director Duane Herr told Campus Current. He explained that “Women’s Lacrosse plays … at least eight games [and] a lot of times up to 15 or 16 games. So, with no other competition within the state and our inability to travel outside of the state, we just weren’t able to put together a schedule.”

AACC’s Men’s Lacrosse will compete, however, because enough teams at other community colleges are still planning to play.

“At this point we’re hopeful that our Men’s Lacrosse program can compete against everybody in the state,” Herr said. Six Maryland community colleges have Men’s Lacrosse teams.

Herr said the college is “still determining what we’re going to allow for [athletes’] travel” to other states while the pandemic is a concern.

AACC previously decided to cancel basketball and volleyball.

“We have suspended our indoor sports … due to the pandemic,” Herr said. “We have hopes that towards the latter part of the spring [that] we could potentially see those teams come in and [practice] …  but they won’t compete this year.”

Head Men’s Basketball coach Joe Snowden said the cancellation of indoor sports is in the best interest of the athletes.

“It wasn’t anything other than for the safety … of these student athletes that the season was canceled,” Snowden said. “The good thing about it is that they have an opportunity to … concentrate more on their classwork [and not have to worry about] COVID playing through it.”

The college canceled all sports last March when it closed its campuses because of the pandemic, and then it called off its fall 2020 season. Some fall teams could make up the season later this semester, Herr said.

Women’s Lacrosse coach Jim Griffiths said he’s disappointed his players will not get to compete.

“Forget about the wins and the championships that we possibly could have won,” Griffiths said. “The biggest disappointment is [athletes] … missing the opportunity to compete in the sport that they love.”

Women’s Lacrosse players said they were not surprised about the cancellation.

“Of course we were hoping for the best possible outcome,” first-year exercise science student and Lacrosse midfielder Maddie Shaner said. “But … It wasn’t a surprise to us.”

Midfielder Samantha Biggs, a second-year cybersecurity student, agreed.

“We kind of knew it was coming, but we were hoping that it wasn’t,” she said.

Shaner said losing the opportunity to play Lacrosse has helped her appreciate the sport more.

“In a way, [not playing] helped because it made me realize how much I love playing,” Shaner explained.

Briggs said she may not get to play again.

“This would probably have been my last season playing if COVID wasn’t happening,” she said. “It would have been nice to at least play one last time.”

She added: “The coaches always joke, ‘Always play like it’s your last [game],’ but it actually was, [which is] … so weird to think.”

Spring practices for Baseball, Softball and Men’s Lacrosse are scheduled to start next week, Herr said. Games for those sports are tentatively scheduled to begin in March.

To comply with the county’s COVID restrictions, student athletes must wear their masks at all times—even while on the field—and no fans will be allowed to attend games.