Susan Robinson Fruchtl, pictured with president Fr. Malachi Van Tassell, T.O.R., was named Saint Francis University’s athletic director in 2015. Her final working day is set for next week.

Susan Robinson Fruchtl is winding down a combined 10-year stint at Saint Francis University — five as head women’s basketball coach and the last five as the school’s athletic director — with her final working day in Loretto set for next week.

She announced her intentions to step down in October.

In the midst of the coronavirus shutdown, Robinson Fruchtl took time to reflect on her journey.

Mirror: How much has the coronavirus left a void in the college basketball world?

Robinson Fruchtl: It is certainly a challenging situation that we all are facing at this time. With so many things being canceled or postponed, we are all feeling the effects. As a former basketball coach, it is definitely strange to not be watching March Madness at this time of year, and I believe it has created a void for so many people in different walks of life.

Mirror: As your tenure comes to a close, do you find yourself nostalgic or emotional?

Robinson Fruchtl: I’m looking forward the transition. It’s leap of faith. I have faith in the process. There are so many people here I’ll miss seeing day to day, but the positive is those relationships go on. I’ve always been about the relationships, and they’re lifelong. That’s the great thing.

Mirror: As AD, since that’s been your most recent assignment, of what are you most proud?

Robinson Fruchtl: I think that we continued to raise the bar. We had several sports do well. There have been facilities improvements. I’ve loved working with the coaches, the alumni, all the donors and the campus community at large. I really have appreciated collaborating across campus, whether it’s been in student development or advancement.

Mirror: What is your next step?

Robinson Fruchtl: I’m not really sure. I think my strengths have probably grown into the alumni development world. I’m looking at pursuing that. We’ll see where and how that looks. I don’t know right now, but that’s what I’m interested in. That part of this job is most like recruiting. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with the alumni, getting to know them on a personal level, and learning their stories. From the shy kid who came from West Virginia, I’m not the life of the party, but I think I’ve developed an affinity of making connections with other people and seeing the passion of our alumni and what their experience here meant to them.

Mirror: Would you like to coach or work in college athletics again?

Robinson Fruchtl: People ask me that. There’s definitely parts of coaching I’ve missed. I’m not looking to get back into coaching, but I won’t say never. I’m not looking to pursue that right now. It would all depend on the situation.

Mirror: You built a home here (in Duncansville). Do you plan to move?

Robinson Fruchtl: We’ll see. It depends on what the next step is. Our house is on the market. We felt like we could not wait. We love living there. We love our neighbors. Tony does work in State College. If we’re going to go anywhere, right now, that’s where we’re going to go.

Mirror: Could you see yourself working at Penn State?

Robinson Fruchtl: That would be great. I love my alma mater and my experience there, both as a student-athlete and a coach. I would love an opportunity to go back and help in some capacity that can utilize my strengths, but we’ll see.

Robinson Fruchtl: It was something I didn’t know about. I knew I’d be the honorary coach for women’s basketball. Keila (Whittington) had set that up. But I didn’t know she was inviting my family, some of my teammates, some fans who watched me play at Penn State that we had kept in touch with, people who had worked at Penn State, and, of course, people here. I was sitting on the bench and at halftime, I looked up at saw some of my family. Tim and I have always kept in touch, and he’s been in my corner. I appreciated him coming.

Robinson Fruchtl: Absolutely, especially in the state of Pennsylvania. Penn and Lafayette have women ADs, too. The percentages aren’t close in this chair, but it’s trending in a better direction in that respect, and there’s still a lot of work to do in that balance and with minorities, too.

Mirror: Has Sandy Barbour been a mentor and who are others have helped guide your path?

Robinson Fruchtl: I really didn’t know Sandy until after I got this job, but we’ve been in contact in my time here. I don’t get up to Penn State very much, but when I go, if I’m at a game, I usually reach out to her, and she’s been very gracious to have conversations. She’s in a big role. Dealing with coaches and student-athletes, it’s similar, but it’s such a corporate entity that is vastly different than Saint Francis. Bob Krimmel has been huge. He brought me to Saint Francis and introduced me here, and he’s loved this community. He gave me the confidence I could move from coaching into this role. I thank Father Malachi (Van Tassell) and Frank Montecalvo, who have had confidence in me. I’d also like to mention (PSU staff members) Ellen Perry, Jenn James, Sue Scheetz, Pat Meiser, Marty Adams and Della Durant as well as the other ADs in the NEC. It’s a very collegial conference.

Mirror: Did coaching the women’s team last year, in the absence of Joe Haigh, take a toll on you?

Robinson Fruchtl: Yes. Doing both, absolutely. With changes here — I do a lot with enrollment and working with the coaches — and usually the summer brings renewal and down time, and while it was much needed, when I got to September, I was just tired. After a couple conversations with Father Malachi, we felt we needed to make a decision. The fall had already started, and that’s the season when we have the most sports. I felt it was time to move in another direction.

Mirror: What is your hope in the future for Saint Francis?

Robinson Fruchtl: Obviously, just coming off the men’s basketball loss (in NEC final), I want to see them get to the NCAA Tournament. I love Rob (Krimmel) and his staff. All the sports have been competitive. I’d like to see them become the dominant athletic department. My hope is facilities will keep improving. DeGol Arena is improved, and I hope little things, like the locker and weight rooms, will continue. Hopefully they’ll continue to be able to add staff and just overall of what they offer student-athletes, whether it’s another fueling station or more academic support, or a sports psychologist or mental health and well being. The number of student-athletes will continue to grow because we’re called upon to drive enrollment.

Robinson Fruchtl: My dream would be an indoor field turf building, even if it was just a 40- or 50-yard facility for the outdoor sports. And then you could renovate the auxiliary gym. And the other thing would be to make DeGol Field into more of a stadium atmosphere and expand the locker rooms down there and the weight room. Track & field needs a locker room. I’m leaving here in a good place, and I appreciate all the people I worked with. It’s been really positive. I hope people will see I really tried to leave it in a better place and worked to do that.

Robinson Fruchtl: No, I’m not involved in the search, and I think that’s a positive thing.

Mirror: Will Tony still play in the Mansion Park/now Lakemont Summer Basketball League?

Robinson Fruchtl: Tony will play basketball as long as he possibly can.