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Penn State will fund scholarships of spring sports senior athletes who return, athletic director Sandy Barbour says

Spring sports seasons were canceled last month due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the NCAA is allowing seniors to come back for one more year of eligibility.

Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour said the school will fund scholarships for any seniors who choose to return for an extra year of eligibility after the coronavirus pandemic canceled spring sports seasons.
Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour said the school will fund scholarships for any seniors who choose to return for an extra year of eligibility after the coronavirus pandemic canceled spring sports seasons.Read moreCourtesy of Penn State Athletics

Penn State vice president of athletics Sandy Barbour said Saturday that the university will fund the scholarships of spring sports senior athletes who wish to return next year for their final season of eligibility.

“We made a decision very early on that,” she said, “should the NCAA make it possible for spring sports seniors to return, that we would give them that opportunity and that we would fund their scholarships at the same rate as they were on this spring.”

Barbour did not say how many seniors have decided to return next year but indicated the cost would be around $700,000. Several Penn State lacrosse players have announced their intention to come back.

Spring seasons were canceled last month because of the coronavirus pandemic. The NCAA instituted a waiver to allow athletes on those teams to return.

“That decision was an easy one,” Barbour said. “There was never really any question.”

Barbour made her comments on a special Penn State Coaches Show, a broadcast that was part of the Nittany Lions’ “virtual tailgate” on the day the annual Blue-White intrasquad scrimmage was to have been played.