Coronavirus has likely ended WSU’s spring sports. What comes next for the athletes?
On the same day the American Athletic Conference canceled its men’s basketball conference tournament, commissioner Mike Aresco also announced Thursday that spring sports in the conference will be suspended because of concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
But with the NCAA canceling its winter and spring championships on the same day, it’s difficult to imagine that any spring sport will return this season. The spring sports at Wichita State are baseball, men’s and women’s golf, softball, men’s and women’s tennis and track and field. The volleyball team also had a handful of spring scrimmages that will now be halted.
WSU athletic director Darron Boatright said that he expects every spring sports team to be back on WSU’s campus by the end of Thursday.
“The last 24 hours have been quite the blur,” Boatright said in a news conference, shortly after returning from Fort Worth, Texas, where the AAC Tournament was to be played. “It seems like it’s been going on a week or so.
“But if we are in the camp that decided to do things too aggressively in this case, I’ll be glad to be in that camp, opposed to had we not made the decision that we made and put individuals in harms way. Not only our student-athletes, but our fans, coaches and staff as well. I really appreciate the gravity of the situation and agree with the steps that have been taken.”
So what comes next for Wichita State, its student-athletes competing in the spring and especially the seniors on those teams?
“We don’t have those answers yet,” Boatright said. “We’re just learning of the cancellation of the championships of the spring sports, so hopefully we’ll get some direction from the governing body that will tell us what is allowed.”
Boatright said he has questions of his own about the eligibility of seniors on spring sports teams who will no longer be able to compete for a championship. Will those seniors be granted a waiver to return on scholarship to WSU next season?
“I think the NCAA will have to ultimately decide what happens broadly as opposed to a case-by-case basis. They are students first, so there’s still plenty of learning to take place. That’s going to be our focus right now is helping them in the classroom as well as preparing and getting organized on what we need to do moving forward throughout the end of the academic term.”
Head coaches of Division I men’s basketball teams were pushing for the NCAA to consider special waivers for their seniors who saw their final season cut short. Would Boatright be in favor of a special waiver like that for seniors like WSU’s Jaime Echenique to be eligible to compete next season?
“I’d be in favor of whatever is right for the kids,” Boatright said. “Their championship season has just been taken away for reasons that they cannot control, that no one can control, so I will trust in the process that the NCAA will make the appropriate decisions.
“I think the coaches have to say that and I think they do believe that. But it also causes a lot more questions too when it comes to scholarship limitations. One decision has a domino effect moving forward. So I would agree with whatever is right by the student-athlete.”
The news puts a damper on the strong start by the Wichita State baseball team under first-year coach Eric Wedge, as the Shockers were 13-2 and beginning to receive national recognition. WSU was scheduled to host Nebraska in a highly anticipated four-game series at Eck Stadium starting Friday, but that will not longer happen.
Another question is what will happen to season-ticket holders for WSU baseball and softball? University officials said those discussions have yet to take place and they will wait to see if the spring sports return before taking action.
WSU is traditionally strong in its spring sports, as the softball and outdoor track and field teams routinely contend for conference championships and NCAA appearances. The tennis teams have also produced strong individuals with the ability to compete at the NCAA level.
With the decisions coming so quickly on Thursday, Boatright said WSU and the NCAA will need time to start answering the nuts-and-bolts questions.
“I think it’s impossible to have a timeline in situations like this,” Boatright said. “They’re learning things at the speed at which we are. I think now that they’ve made the big decision from an athletics perspective through the spring, now they can sit down and determine what all of that means and also help devise a plan moving forward.”
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 4:03 PM.
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