With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent cancellation of sports seasons, many student-athletes were stuck in limbo not knowing what the future holds for them. The cancellation of sports hit all student-athletes hard but it especially affected the seniors.
Seniors were left without their final season and the pageantry that is their senior day game. Many seniors did not know what was to become of their final year of athletics. The NCAA eventually announced that they would offer an extra year of eligibility to all the spring season athletes who had their seasons canceled. Some schools and leagues decided that they would not offer the extra year of eligibility to their spring athletes. The most prominent league to not offer the extra year was the Ivy League. This is due to their policy that graduate students can not participate in athletics.
Here at Cabrini those who had their season canceled were given fill opportunity to return this year to fulfill their final year of eligibility along with getting a master’s degree in their chosen major. The athletes were not the only ones having to figure out how to navigate these unprecedented times
Head men’s lacrosse coach, Steve Colfer said “You’re trying to help young men know what to do. Some want to come back, so I’m helping them with that and also continuing to recruit in a virtual landscape.”
Photo by Grace Fox
The defending national champions men’s lacrosse team had eight of their seniors return, most of them being from the championship team. Many factors played into some players coming back for a fifth year and others that decided to graduate last May and head into the workforce. Coming off the back of such a strong 2019 season that saw the team win a national title it was hard for the seniors to just call it quits after only playing five games in their senior season.
Tommy Deluca, who is studying for masters in leadership said, “I think just with the season-ending so suddenly myself and other guys who came back felt we have so much left in the tank and left so much on the table, it’s so hard to walk away when you feel like you haven’t finished a job yet.”
Many of the seniors were influenced by that championship season but they were also influenced by the relationships they’ve developed with one other over their time here at Cabrini. It’s hard to just part ways with your teammates you’ve played with for four years without getting that final season with them.
Matt LoParo, a six-year political science major, said, “Just hearing all the guys that are coming back for their fifth year, I’m gonna be a sixth year but all the guys coming back gave me a hope that another title is in the works.”
