Opinion: NCCA offers hope to senior athletes

The writer, senior golfer Scott Sparks, woud like the chance to end his college career with competition. / Photo courtesy of Detroit Titans Sports Info

BY SCOTT SPARKS  / VN STAFF WRITER

Our campus sports world has turned upside down.

The coronavirus rattled the lives of all student-athletes at Detroit Mercy when it started spreading quickly and we couldn’t put a stop to it.

Both the Horizon League, to which most Titan teams belong, and the NCAA, which governs all college athletics,  halted play until further notice before, a couple days later, canceling the whole season.

This is a big deal because many seniors are done with school in late April and can no longer return because they weren’t planning on pursuing additional education. 

While this has affected thousands, it may be manageable for returning athletes and ones who have more schooling.   

I am a senior on the Detroit Mercy golf team, and I was very upset that I wasn’t going to be able to finish my college golf career with a chance to go to the NCAA regionals.

And so was Zack Tenerowicz, also a senior on the golf team. 

Tenerowicz was devastated as he figured he would never be able to play again with his friends at the college level.

“It’s not fair,” he said. “It was taken away from us. All senior athletes deserve a better way to go out than this.” 

I would agree.

Recently NCAA officials said they are looking into giving all spring athletes an extra season of eligibility.

This would be a huge deal for a lot of student-athletes and help give closure to their college careers.

While many are upset and hurt about the season being ended, safety, of course, is most important of all.

Still, that knowledge doesn’t erase the feelings we have.