Lighting the Path: Athletic Director Lynne Robinson Leads the Mount During Uncertainty

Samuel Barber
MSMU Class of 2022

(11/2020) For the better part of seven months, every corner of the world has had their lives greatly impacted due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. That includes our mountain home in Emmitsburg. While most of the world has returned to some sense of normalcy, one aspect still hangs in the balance: collegiate athletics. Great leadership is a component that will allow one to overcome virtually any obstacle. Mount St. Mary’s is fortunate enough to have Lynne Robinson spearheading efforts to bring back athletics while keeping the health and safety of athletes at the forefront.

Robinson has been the athletic director of the Mount since 2007 and a part of the athletic department for 41 years. Through her guidance, along with following county and state guidelines, the university has been able to usher in a return to athletics, despite no competition being in sight. Although this return has looked easy on paper, that could not be further from the truth.

In July, the Northeast Conference (NEC) announced the postponement of fall sports for all 10 membered institutions, including Mount St. Mary’s. This is a move that came to the disappointment and shock to athletes and no surprise to administrators and coaches. Despite the nearly 500 athletes not being able to compete in their respective sports, that has not deterred them from giving it their best. Practices for almost all 24 varsity sports are in full swing.

The athletic department implemented a multi-step process that would allow sports teams to phase-in their return. Phasing-in began with a limited group of athletes, as most athletes were sectioned off into specific time slots while also having limited or no contact with coaches. When the environment was deemed safe, then full team practices and workouts could begin. To ensure the safety and transparency of all, every student-athlete is required to complete a daily, athlete-specific COVID-19 survey.

What makes the NEC unique is the locational diversity of each school. LIU and Wagner are situated in bustling cities while the Mount and Saint Francis U are nestled in the rural corners of the country. With the Mount being quite secluded, the restart of athletics has been drastically different, for both better and worse. "Maryland is under different health guidelines than New York or Pennsylvania," said Robinson. With many schools having contrasting rules in place, the fight against the coronavirus appears to be from a one-dimensional front. However, the smallness of Emmitsburg is an appealing characteristic, especially during a global pandemic. The university does not have to worry about the booming outside population's affecting on-campus athletes.

Although it may seem to be smooth sailing against COVID at the Mount, that is quite the contrary. Due to its location, Mount St. Mary's does not have access to the same resources as a school like Wagner. This obstacle has changed the trajectory of returning to normalcy. It could be said that this is yet another challenge for the athletic department.

During a typical academic year, the responsibilities of athletic administrators are extensive, multi-dimensional and time-consuming. One of the biggest tasks every year is scheduling. Typically, accounting for travel is not an area of concern when it comes to building a schedule. In all sports, the Mountaineers will not be playing against teams that require airfare. Both men's and women's basketball, as well as bowling, are the three highest traveling teams, so not having games that require air travel has drastically changed how their seasons will come together. This policy change means that both basketball teams will not travel out to the West Coast and bowling will most likely not have their yearly Las Vegas tournament.

While scheduling remains at the forefront, the connection between the AD and athletes is an aspect she cherishes the most. According to Robinson, "connecting with the athletes has been really hard." Since the beginning of the pandemic, Robinson has continuously shown tremendous spirit toward her athletes. "Usually freshman orientation and the student-athlete kickoff serve as a great opportunity to meet the incoming athletes. Sadly, a lot of the new athletes don’t know who I am," she added.

Despite not being allowed to meet with athletes face-to-face, that has not diminished Robinson’s level of outreach to the athletes. She has been seen attending various practices and inter-squad scrimmages while following state health guidelines, of course. One of the biggest tools being used to maintain a high level of communication is Zoom. "Who knew that Zoom would become so popular? I’ve spoken with athletes throughout the semester to check-in," said the athletic director.

Across much of Division-I, basketball is one of the biggest revenue-generating sports, next to football. For the Mount, men’s and women’s basketball are seen as the "money winner" sports. One of the toughest challenges this season has been finalizing all aspects of the 2020-21 season. This has been at the top of the docket in the AD’s office.

The 2020-21 season will feature an array of different protocols, as this season is nothing short of historic. Being nearly a month away from the official start to the season, many plans remain tentative. Fortunately, Robinson was able to offer clarification in an Oct. 20 interview. "There will be no fans to start the season, and I see it being like that the entire season. The only people allowed in the arena during game time will be coaches, players, officials and staff," she said.

A major storyline circulating the college basketball world has been whether conferences will play within a "bubble". The same topic has been discussed across the NEC. As of now, there are no plans to implement a bubble. Instead of the traditional early-season tournament, the men's team will participate in a Multi-Team Event (MTE), at a yet to be determined location.

These MTE’s, which are typically going to be hosted by "Power Five" schools (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC), have gained a considerable amount of traction in recent months, due to giving mid-major programs, like the Mount, opportunities for resume-building matchups.

Although basketball is the most buzzworthy sport, there are plenty of other varsity programs that pull weight within the athletic department. A reasonable concern for lower revenue-generating sports has been budgeting for the near future. So far, it has been business as usual for lower revenue sports. "[The athletic department] we conducted our yearly budget reviews and concluded that we will make adjustments along the way," Robinson explained.

Mount St. Mary’s is one of the few mid-major programs in the country that has not had to revamp their athletic department in the past seven months, whether that means cutting athletic programs or salaries.

As the months have passed, it has become increasingly harder to find any sign of optimism in the world, and the same can be said for the sport’s world. However, there has been no shortage of good news within the Mount community. Regardless of the pandemic, the athletic department was able to add an additional program to the varsity sports lineup, men’s and women’s water polo. The installment of both programs brings the Mount to a comfortable 24 athletic programs, 11 men and 13 women.

There is growing rhetoric around the world of anguish, fear and uncertainty. However, Robinson remains steadfastly optimistic. "This will be the craziest but best semester yet," she exclaimed. While we have changed so drastically and have had our lives uprooted beyond belief, we must remember one thing: always see the light at the end of the tunnel. COVID-19 has taken so much from us, but it has not stolen who we are as Mountaineers. That is an intangible gift that no one can take away from us.