Last Chance U: an inside look at fifth-year student athletes on Chapman’s campus

Chapman student athletes Chandler Siemonsma (left) and Chris Tsirtsis (right) are opting to use their additional eligibility provided by the National Collegiate Athletic Association upon canceled seasons last year. DANIEL PEARSON, Staff Photographer

Chapman student athletes were devastated when COVID-19 conned them of their sports seasons last year. But this year, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) gave all of its athletes a staggering shot at redemption of their lost seasons, and many Chapman student athletes took the opportunity. 

Among them is men’s soccer goalkeeper Chandler Siemonsma, a fifth-year health science major. His senior season was among those canceled in fall 2020.

“I didn’t want to end my soccer career on that note,” Siemonsma told The Panther.

With this in mind, he deferred last fall and pushed his courses off by a semester to remain eligible to play this fall. 

Chandler Siemonsma, goalkeeper of Chapman’s men’s soccer team, readies himself to block an attempted score. Photo courtesy of Ivan Bustos

“If it wasn't going to affect your future too much, then it was an easy decision,” Siemonsma said. “Some people felt staying back was going to hinder going forward. I didn't really have that feeling … I can jump in in the spring and be fine.”

Siemonsma played his first season on the soccer team as a sophomore, when most of the new players were freshmen, so he easily found his footing with his new class. 

“I feel like I’m a part of this current senior class right now; I’ve always felt that way,” Siemonsma said. 

As the Panthers near the end of regular season play with a clinched playoff spot in hand, Siemonsma is happy with his decision to stay another year. Despite his teammates calling him the “grandpa” of the team, he has embraced his role. 

“It's just more of a leadership position being the fifth-year and explaining how a lot of things are done,” Siemonsma said. 

Chris Tsirtsis, fifth-year business administration major and wide receiver for Chapman’s football team, echoed the importance of leadership among the fifth-year athletes. 

“It’s our job to lead the team and make sure everyone has a good mindset going into each game, each week and each practice,” Tsirtsis said. 

Chris Tsirtsis, wide receiver for Chapman’s football team, heads towards his teammates to confer before the next play. Photo courtesy of Alex Vazquez

When his senior season got canceled last fall, Tsirtsis instantly knew he wanted to return.

“I wanted to come back just because I had left a lot on the table and I didn’t want it to have to end that way,” Tsirtsis said. “I wanted to end it on my own terms. Another reason why I came back was to win another conference championship.”

The Chapman football team is currently the reigning Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) champions. But with the Panthers’ recent loss to Redlands, it puts the championship title far out of reach for them.

“If you lose one game, you’re pretty much done,” Tsirtsis said. 

Winning the SCIAC title was “definitely the main goal” for Tsirtsis when he decided to come back, and even though that’s not happening, he thinks “it’s still worth it.”

Women’s soccer’s Anna Montemor concurred, describing the additional commitment as “so worth it,” especially now that the women’s soccer team has secured a spot in the SCIAC playoffs. 

Montemor is a transfer student and broadcast journalism major who was already going to be a fifth-year student regardless of her athletic status. Still, she is “really happy” with the opportunity she has been given to play during her fifth year. 

“If I was just a normal student after playing soccer all these years I think I would be really upset seeing my team and not being there,” Montemor said. 

For Siemonsma and Montemor, there are single-elimination playoff games ahead that constitute the end of their soccer journeys. As for Tsirtsis, his plan is to “just be happy with where it ends.”