College athletics says goodbye to bonus eligibility nearly five years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
KSC Athletics underwent changes to accommodate the pandemic. One change was college athletes were given an extra year of eligibility if their season was deterred by the pandemic, according to previous reporting by The Equinox. Associate Athletic Director Abe Osheyack said he has encountered this situation in the last few years, encouraging athletes to use their eligibility to keep playing sports.
“We’ve had plenty of athletes take advantage for multiple seasons through the COVID-19 waivers,” Osheyack said, “And it’s certainly a great opportunity for them to continue playing their sports.”
Osheyack said systems similar have been evident in the NCAA in the past, such as the red-shirt program which has lasted forever. That program allows for an athlete to repeat their year of eligibility if they do not play their first year, which is subject to Division I. Furthermore, an athlete can also repeat a year of eligibility if they get hurt early on in that season, or it is worked out with the NCAA.
According to Osheyack, the extra year of eligibility has a much different effect at the Division III level than it does at Division I. Additionally, Osheyack said the decision to stay an extra year is handled differently for Division III athletes, such as those at Keene State.
“An athlete would still have to pay for school and finance it, which sometimes can add to debt that students are taking on. We’re still a Division III school and there’s still no athletic scholarships available. But the opportunity to further your education and continue playing your sport, most people consider that a positive,” Osheyack said.
Depending on the school and class size, the extra year could have helped a program retain seniors. KSC Women’s Basketball Coach Keith Boucher said he has run into these problems on his own team, and even some of their opponents.
“These athletes that were supposed to graduate in 2024 have another year of eligibility and it’s a problem we’ve run into the last three years,” Boucher said. “We played against a team in our conference that started eight fifth-year seniors. I’m starting two first-years who are 18 years old and their players are grown women at 23-24 years old.”
The first-year athletes, now fifth-years, who first underwent the changes from the COVID-19 pandemic are now on their extra year of eligibility. Those who suffered an injury or earned a red-shirt year may have one or two more years of eligibility, but those without have no extra years to use. As we separate ourselves from the world that was in 2020, the collegiate sports world separates itself from the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You’re going to see a trickle down effect, so what happens in Division I affects what happens in Division II, and the same toward Division III,” Osheyack said. “There will be much less graduate transfers who were given extra years of eligibility.
Osheyack added, You’ll see a lot less transfer activity and a return to what we would consider pre-COVID traditional recruiting. More freshmen will come into the program opposed to the transfer portal.”
Jacob Enscoe can be contacted at
jenscoe@kscequinox.com
