The NCAA is weighing the possibility of extending eligibility of all winter sport athletes by a season, collegiate swimming & diving coaches were told on a phone call with trade group the CSCAA last week.
At this point, no decisions have been made; rather, it is a conversation that the NCAA is having given the disruptions to a second season caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The coronavirus pandemic hit the United States in March, at the very tail end of most winter sport seasons, but early in spring sport seasons. The NCAA decided to grant an extra year of eligibility to athletes in spring sports early on in the pandemic. At that point, the NCAA elected not to extend extra seasons of eligibility to affected winter sport athletes, who got to compete in the bulk of their season, but for many sports (including swimming) had their NCAA Championship meet canceled.
Both of those decisions were for the 2019-2020 season. As the pandemic has stretched on into the 2020-2021 school year, the NCAA has had to address fall sports. With many fall sports postponed to the spring semester, the NCAA has said it will allow fall sport athletes to have another year of eligibility whether they play in the 2020-2021 season or not. Those athletes will not count toward scholarship limits in their fifth years.
Winter sports – including swimming & diving – would be the next, chronologically, to be impacted by the ongoing pandemic. Division I swim meets have already begun, not delayed very far from when they typically begin. But as of now, the season is limited to two-team dual meets only, with no invites and no word on what conference or NCAA championship events will look like.
Based on the CSCAA update, the NCAA is at least considering extending their fall-sport relief plan to winter sports, though that will also depend on how much COVID-19 affects winter sports.
It’s such a mess because not all teams are competing/practicing. It seems unfair that swimmers who are at schools that are competing would get an extra year of eligibility
That’s what’s happened with fall sports though. They all got an extra year, even though a fair number are still playing this fall. I feel like the winter sports already lost their championships last year, and if they don’t get another year after both spring and fall have, it’s going to be very unfair.
To clarify, this will be voted on by the D1 Council on October 13–14.
If I’m a student-athlete, this would seem fair. I can’t imagine being a senior and having such a distorted final year. Not the type of closure to a lifelong career that you deserve. Plus student-athletes in Spring & Fall 2020 sports received such relief so this would be consistent.
However, long term, this is terrible for swimming. Athletic departments are already depleted and now will have to find more money for an extra year of eligibility? The next recruiting class is still coming so rosters will be bloated. The participant limits for conference/NCAAs are not going to change. As previously mentioned, this relief has already been… Read more »
I’ve heard that they already extended the clock to 6 years only if someone chooses to not participate because of COVID.. is that true?