Christian Moya, Staff Writer
The NCAA has granted fall sport athletes an extra year of eligibility as a result of their seasons being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision, announced last month, reflects the NCAA’s prior policy extending eligibility for spring student-athletes.
Once the NCAA and California Collegiate Athletic Association broke the news that all fall championships would be canceled this year, there were many mixed emotions among CPP student-athletes. The extra year of eligibility directly affects seniors who would be exhausting their final year of eligibility as a result of the season ending abruptly.
These athletes now have to make tough decisions regarding their last year of college, while so much uncertainty still surrounds the pandemic and the future of collegiate athletics.
Senior Shayna Larson, member of the women’s soccer team discussed the difficulty of making the decision to return for her extra year or move on in life.
“It absolutely is the hardest choice I’ve had to make up to this point in my life, because I have to choose between playing the sport I love for one potential last season, or graduating as planned and start my career,” Larson said. “It’s something that I still go back and forth on to this day because I have to make my decision when nothing is guaranteed for the spring.”
If Larson does return, it would be her fifth year on the team.
“If I get the opportunity to play for Cal Poly again in the spring, I am looking forward to absolutely crushing anyone who gets on the field with us,” Larson said. “I’ve missed my teammates and playing soccer so much that I have no doubts we will beat any and all competition. We just need the opportunity to step on the field again.”
Senior Jane Woodward, member of the volleyball team, is happy with the NCAA’s decision. She said she will not take anything for granted in her last season with the Broncos.
“I’m looking forward to being able to train and play with this new sense of appreciation for the sport that I’ve gained during the past six months,” Woodward said. “I know that I’ll be soaking in every day of my last season of volleyball.”
Woodward was a key piece to the Broncos’ 2019 season, and she hopes to give it one last shot on the court once the campus opens for students.
The men’s soccer team was also affected by the NCAA’s decision. Senior Antonio Vallejo did not let the cancellation of the season bring him down; he is using this extra year as motivation to get things done in the classroom.
“I always had the mindset that I will play as long as I possibly can,” Vallejo said. “So, the extra year opened up my mind to take on a minor as I was scheduled to graduate at the end of this school year. I will expand my studies and take a minor and continue to play my senior year.”
Vallejo will be playing his third year with the Broncos in 2020, and he looks to make a lasting imprint on the soccer field as well as in the classroom during his last season with the team.