On Monday, March 30, the NCAA announced that they would grant an extra year of eligibility to all spring sport athletes whose seasons were affected by COVID-19.

A All-MAAC lacrosse player has already taken advantage of the ruling. Lacrosse senior captain and midfielder Joe Tierney announced Monday that he would accept the extra year and return for next year’s spring season.

“I talked for weeks on whether I wanted to come back with my family. They supported me in whatever decision I wanted to make, and I couldn’t pass up an awesome opportunity to play for Marist again and further my education,” he said. Tierney will apply for a Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications and become eligible for next year’s season.

Other Marist athletes might call Nikki DeSerpa ‘20, a senior captain on the Marist volleyball team, and her teammates quite lucky. “I’m very thankful I got to finish my season out,” she said “I can’t imagine not getting [senior night] with my family and teammates behind me.”

The pandemic did not directly affect DeSerpa and her team’s season, but they were able watch and compare their experiences with heavy hearts.

As colleges issue refunds and grapple with the situation, student-athletes are forced to decide whether they want to move on from the sport they have worked so hard to play at a collegiate level — or, proceed with their lives and move into the workforce.

DeSerpa agrees with the NCAA’s ruling to give all spring senior athletes another year of eligibility. “Everything that you've ever worked for in the sport from being a little kid and wanting to play at a higher level is for your senior season.”

It’s clear that the ripple effects from COVID-19 will be felt in and around college sports for years to come.

One student athlete who was directly impacted by the coronavirus outbreak was Sydney Ford ‘20, the senior captain of the women’s rowing team. “It was just unbelievable,” said Ford. “We were in disbelief that it was over.”

Ford recalls the moment she found out her season was canceled. “I was with some of my teammates in the library,” she said “I don’t think I ever had that much anxiety.”

She said that after working so hard to achieve your goals, it can be hard to understand that it has all been taken away from you at once. “I’ve come to terms a little bit more,” she said “It still hasn’t really set in that we’re not coming back for the spring season.”

This year, the women’s rowing team was outstanding, ranking first in the MAAC preseason poll and growing stronger throughout the season. “We had been showing a lot of improvement over last year’s team," said Ford.

They were looking forward to the MAAC Championship this year, with a chance to win back-to-back championships. “We were all really confident that we were going to win again and I think that we definitely could have,” she said.

Ford agreed with the NCAA’s ruling to give spring sport seniors an extra year of eligibility. “I think they made the right decision to give everyone the opportunity to finish what they started.” She is considering taking the extra year and competing for a MAAC Championship next season. However, the decision does not come without its drawbacks.

“It puts people in kind of a tough spot, trying to decide if it’s time to move on or not,” Ford said. “Nothing could ever be the same as having your senior spring season with your respective class and teammates.”

The NCAA’s decision to extend eligibility to seniors does not apply to winter sport athletes, whose tournaments may have been canceled due to the outbreak.

Senior Student Athletes React to NCAA’s Extended Eligibility for Spring Athletes

MARIST CIRCLE