The NCAA will grant an additional season of eligibility to spring sports athletes affected by the cancellation of their seasons due to the public health threat of novel coronavirus COVID-19, the NCAA Council Coordination Committee agreed, according to Jeff Goodman of Stadium.
The decision will grant an additional year of eligibility to student athletes in baseball, beach volleyball, golf, lacrosse, outdoor track and field, rowing, softball, tennis, men’s volleyball and women’s water polo.
The players most impacted by Friday’s decision are the seniors, which otherwise would have exhausted their eligibility.
Pitt’s spring sports seniors are baseball pitchers Chris Gomez, David Moore and Grant Hoppock, shortstop David Yanni and outfielder Nico Popa, softball outfielders Connor McGaffic and Kaitlyn Kruger, catcher Walker Barbee and infielder Alexee Haynes and 17 members of the track and field teams.
At Duquesne, spring sports include women’s lacrosse, rowing, men’s and women’s tennis and track and field. Robert Morris has men’s and women’s lacrosse teams, rowing, softball and and track.
The NCAA did not make a ruling on winter sports athletes that had their 2020 postseason interrupted by Thursday’s announcements.
The sport’s governing body also needs to make a decision on how to deal with schools going over the scholarship limit as a result of seniors getting an additional season along with new recruits.
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