One factor that makes Stevenson University so appealing to potential Mustangs is its Campus Recreation program and the many sports it offers. SU has its own intramural sports teams, group fitness teams, e-sports teams, varsity sports teams, and, last but not least, competitive club sports teams.

Club sports are especially appealing to college athletes because, unlike their intramural counterparts, the teams compete against other schools, rather than teams on their home turf. And they’re less time-consuming and strenuous than their varsity counterparts.

Stevenson has eight club sports teams; however, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, men’s club basketball, cheerleading, men’s club lacrosse, and women’s club soccer were temporarily removed from competition this season. That left just four teams active this spring. Those teams are:

1. The Stevenson men’s club baseball team, which has ranked in the Rawlings Top 20 nationally five out of seven seasons with a ranking as high as #8 in the country in 2017.

2. The Stevenson club dance team, which is currently ranked 7th in the nation for NDA D3 Hip-Hop.

3. The Stevenson club women’s volleyball team, which is one of the only D3 club volleyball teams in the area, meaning they compete against D1 teams like Towson, UMBC, and George Washington University.

4. The Stevenson men’s club ice hockey team, which competes in the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association against Liberty University, University of Maryland, the University of Delaware, among others.

Each of these four teams are expected to compete in the very near future, though some with more certainty than others. It took a lot of grit and flexibility on the players’ parts to get this far. “The teams have only been allowed to participate in strength and conditioning for the first few weeks of their season,” Athletic Director of Campus Recreation Matthew Grimm explained about the hurried circumstances under which the teams were expected prepare. The compressed preparation time was necessary, due to the pandemic, but coupled with other such COVID restrictions placed on athletes and campus facilities, it still posed a challenge for club athletes. They competed while abiding by strict social-distancing, mask-wearing, and hand-sanitizing rules.

Indeed, SU club sports operations overall during this past academic year have been “touch and go.” Many games were cancelled and rescheduled, only to be canceled once more – as was often the case with the four club sports teams that eventually saw altogether canceled seasons. When it comes to the four active teams about to play, Grimm said, “The goal is to, at a minimum, get every [active] club team at least one game or performance to participate in this 2021 spring semester.”

And so far, so good. Here’s what’s ahead for each of these teams:

· The dance team will perform at the Mustangs first home football game.

· The men’s club baseball team will face off against Neumann at the Bachmann Complex on April 10, at 11 a.m.

· The men’s club ice hockey team will play Alvernia at the Reisterstown Sportsplex on April 24, at 4 p.m. sharp

· As for the women’s club volleyball team, there isn’t a game date or time yet for competition this season. But the team is active and ready to play.

More information on all of Stevenson’s club sports teams, including game dates, times, and how to join, can be found here.