NCAA Approves Extra Year Of Eligibility For Spring Athletes
Mar 30, 2020, 5:40 PM
A detail of giant NCAA logo is seen outside of the stadium on the practice day prior to the NCAA Men's Final Four at the Georgia Dome on April 5, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The NCAA Division I Council voted and approved on Monday an extra year of eligibility to all student-athletes in spring sports whose seasons were canceled because of the coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic.
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The NCAA extended the eligibility to all spring sports student-athletes, not just seniors. They will allow schools to expand their rosters beyond current scholarship limits to account for incoming recruits and seniors who were expected to leave after the 2020 season.
The NCAA is leaving the decision to each individual school on whether to grant seniors in spring sports less or equal financial aid.
The waivers will be applied for the student-athletes that competed in spring sports including baseball, softball, tennis, outdoor track and field, golf, lacrosse, men’s volleyball, beach volleyball, rowing and women’s water polo.
DI Council grants waiver to allow additional eligibility for spring sport athletes whose seasons were impacted by COVID-19: https://t.co/v1zriEBDvR pic.twitter.com/g9BbOkmnt0
— NCAA (@NCAA) March 30, 2020
Unfortunately, the decision does not include winter sports such as basketball, hockey, swimming, diving and gymnastics.
“The Council’s decision gives individual schools the flexibility to make decisions at a campus level,” said Division I Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, University of Pennsylvania Athletics Director. “The Board of Governors encouraged conferences and schools to take action in the best interest of student-athletes and their communities, and now schools have the opportunity to do that.”
The Division I Council also increased the roster limit in baseball for student-athletes that were impacted by COVID-19.
