Some Davidson athletes returning for voluntary summer workouts

A group of about 30 Davidson athletes returned this week for what athletics director Chris Clunie hopes is the start of a “phasing in” of on-campus summer workouts for Wildcats teams.

“We’re moving slowly with it,” Clunie said of the voluntary workouts, which are being held outside in Davidson’s Richardson Stadium and are the first time the players have been together since the coronavirus stopped all college sports activities in March. “We’re putting together a scenario that we hope can help us figure out how to move forward.”

The workouts are limited to no more than five players at a time and are being supervised by Davidson strength and conditioning coach Evan Simon. The athletes must bring their own equipment, which is thoroughly wiped down and cleaned after each workout.

“We’re following all the protocols that have been stated out there,” Clunie said. “Every assumption and standard, whether it’s federal, state, NCAA, local. Everything that’s mandated and required, we’re doing.”

Clunie said each athlete in the group (which includes football, basketball and soccer players) lives off campus and had already planned on being in the Charlotte area for the summer for internships or jobs. The Davidson campus continues to be closed, with Aug. 20 a tentative date for when it will reopen for fall classes.

The next goal, Clunie said, is for the outdoor workouts to go smoothly enough that they can be moved to the weight room by the middle of the month and for more athletes to participate.

“But that would be its own new set of challenges,” Clunie said. “Being in the weight room, in an enclosed space. We’ll have to make sure about ventilation, things like that.”

Clunie took part in a conference call with Atlantic 10 athletics directors and presidents on Thursday and said there’s little agreement within the conference on how to handle summer workouts.

“There’s no consensus, because every school pretty much has a different situation, depending on what state or city they’re in,” Clunie said. “Look at Fordham (in New York City). They’re facing something that’s different than any of us. As a conference we’re working hard moving forward. We have the benefit of time, even though time is short. But the more flexibility we can provide, the better.”

This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 11:48 AM.