The last dance: How rising senior student-athletes are handling the cancellation of fall sports

Jonston MacIntyre, quarterback on Chapman’s football team, told The Panther he’s working to figure out an academic solution for retaining eligibility next fall to play one last season of football. Panther Archives

Most athletes cherish their senior seasons. It’s usually the last time they’ll be able to play the sport they grew so fond of, and the last time they’ll be able to compete with teammates whom they’ve grown so near and dear to. Unfortunately, for many senior athletes at Chapman University, their final career game could possibly have already happened. 

 After spring sports ended prematurely March 11 due to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) announced July 24 that high-risk sports such as football, soccer, volleyball and water polo will not play any games during the fall 2020 season. 

All of a sudden, instead of a dream sendoff into the sunset, many senior student-athletes at Chapman are left to ponder their athletic futures – potentially robbed of the chance to play the sport they love for one final year. 

“I’m still considering what I want to do,” said Jonston MacIntyre, a rising senior and quarterback on the football team. “I know I want to be back to play next fall, but I don’t know exactly how I’m going to get there.”

Thankfully for MacIntyre and other student-athletes wondering the same thing, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is offering a blanket waiver that allows athletes, whose program participates in less than 50% of its upcoming season, to retain a year of eligibility. Thus, if football’s season was truly cancelled, MacIntyre would have the option to try to retain academic credits for next fall and maintain his eligibility for one final year to compete at a collegiate level.

However, there is the chance that these fall sports could be simply pushed back to the spring, according to athletic director Terry Boesel. And athletes such as senior Katharine Walker said she and the women’s volleyball team are taking a more optimistic approach. 

“Everyone’s hopeful that we’re going to be able to play in the spring,” said Walker, a right-side hitter. “I’d really like to get a senior season so I can have closure.”

While there may be differing views among teams on how the season will be approached, there’s one concept that will be most important to develop regardless of the program: team chemistry. In the past, whether it be football’s tradition of Bruxie Thursdays, or women’s lacrosse’s “wing woman” program, a major ingredient for future success among Chapman teams has been a sense of camaraderie. 

Senior Anna Montemor said women’s soccer has been able to largely maintain their connection despite being scattered across the country. Participating in their garages or bedrooms, all the team needed was a little bit of space and a ball for their scheduled Zoom practices.

“We did virtual workouts during the spring when we were initially shut down,” Montemor said. “It was nice to be able to see the team and the coaches. It was a great way to still be together and still feel like you’re on the team.”

The women’s volleyball team has also used Zoom to encourage connectivity, but they’ve taken a slightly different approach. Walker said the team has used the platform to welcome and introduce incoming freshmen to the rest of the players on the roster. Upperclassmen want to give them a chance to feel a part of the team and have as normal of an experience as possible.

“We’re trying to plan a picnic with them since most of them are trying to move near Orange,” Walker said. “Or some socially distanced event where we can all safely meet each other for the first time.”

At the end of the day, that team chemistry will be important in keeping athletes focused, regardless of the unpredictability of factors associated with COVID-19. On the football team, for example, each captain has a group of players they reach out to and keep in contact with to encourage them to “stay ready” – a phrase MacIntyre said head coach Bob Owens has been preaching all summer. 

“Everybody in our league is dealing with this,” MacIntyre said. “It’s a matter of who can handle this situation the best and make the most out of it.”