By ALEXANDRA WILDER & CHRISTIAN MOYA
Staff Writers
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) granted an extra year of eligibility to spring-sport athletes whose seasons were affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
This only applies to student-athletes who would be exhausting their last year of eligibility, giving seniors one more season to compete, if they choose to do so.
With uncertainty in regard to scholarships, roster size and incoming recruits, the NCAA is working with schools by providing them with eligibility flexibility for the 2020-21 year.
The NCAA allows student-athletes four out of five years to compete in their sport. One of those years can be used to redshirt to develop skills, extend their eligibility, and potentially recover from an injury. The council granting this extension is especially important for those seeing their fifth and final year come to an abrupt end due to the coronavirus.
Mixed emotions arose from student-athletes after the news broke of an extra year of eligibility. Some were eager to find out if they had a second chance, while others worried whether they could even have enough classes to be a full-time student. A majority of senior student-athletes will be graduating at the end of the school year, making it difficult for them to come back for another year and compete.
Many seniors across the country are contemplating the “what-if” factor. Not knowing how their season could have ended has left many devastated.
Senior Imani Williams, a member of the CPP women’s track and field team, is taking it day by day. She, and the rest of her team, had a feeling their season would be ending due to the fact that a handful of their events had been canceled. However, she was still heartbroken when she received the news that her career as a student-athlete was over.
“As of right now, I am trying to stay in school so I can use the year of eligibility,” Williams said. “Because I was going to graduate in the spring, we have run into some difficulties keeping me, as well as the other seniors in my position, enrolled.”
Williams has high hopes that everything can be figured out so she can compete with the rest of her fellow seniors for one last season.
The baseball team was having a winning season before it got cut short. Senior pitcher Jeremy Taylor is determined to use his extra year of eligibility and play next year. Taylor does not want to live with regret knowing he could have given it one more shot at playing the game he played his whole life.
“I know I’m not the only one on the team that believed we could have gone a long way this year,” Taylor said. “I am excited to get back with the guys when this whole situation is over and compete again. I look forward to coming back for a fifth year and helping this team reach our goal … a national championship.”
The council also extended baseball’s roster limit — the only sport with such a limit. It is important to note that although certain winter sports were affected by the coronavirus, they will not be granted the extra year of eligibility.