On March 19, the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference made an announcement that wasn’t unexpected but was still dreaded by many — the official cancellation of the remainder of the 2019-20 athletic season.
While the NCAA has granted an extra year of eligibility to athletes who play a spring sport, it may be difficult for seniors to change their plans for the future this close to graduation or be able to afford another year of college, meaning an unexpected end to their last opportunity to play their sport competitively.
Here’s a look into a few Bluffton seniors’ lives following the news that their season had been canceled.
Megan Hill, softball
Megan Hill is one of the three seniors on the softball team this year. Despite the difficult news, Hill said the team was still there to support each other.
“The team really rallied together and surprised us, three seniors, with a mini senior night, which meant the world to us,” Hill said. “Tears were everywhere.”
Amanda Demoine, head softball coach, said the senior class brought leadership to the team, as well as a drive to make everyone around them better.
“They were the ones that I was able to lean on to help lead the culture change I was initiating,” DeMoine said. “They worked their tails off in the weight rooms, did extra work outside of practices, always kept up on their academics and responsibilities, and most importantly really tried to take their teammates along with them.”
While Hill would like to come back using her extra year of eligibility, she doesn’t know if financially it will be possible. When she thinks about the loss of her final season, she said she feels a sense of despair.
“Knowing that I won’t play a competitive game of softball ever again breaks my heart, but knowing I won’t play as a beaver or with this absolutely astounding group of girls again makes that heartbreak 10 times worse,” Hill said.
Despite this heartbreak, Demoine said she hopes the three seniors are able to realize how much they’ve contributed to the program.
“While I can’t even find a word to describe the sadness I feel for them for having their final semester cut short, I am so immensely proud of everything they have accomplished,” DeMoine said. “They have left their marks on this program and have helped turn in back in the right direction.”
Alexis Cash, track
Senior track athlete Alexis Cash. Photo courtesy of Alexis Cash.
Alexis Cash said she felt a mix of sadness, anger, confusion, shock and nostalgia when she found out her last season was over.
“I’ve done sports my whole life, so for my last season to be taken away because of something out of our control, it’s frustrating,” Cash said. “And I’m not entirely sure how to feel about it right now. It feels weird.”
Kaylea Jachno, director of cross country and track and field, believes the seniors were “everything” to their program.
“Without these seniors, the culture of our team would not have developed into what we have now,” Jachno said. “It was a combination [of] them driving our culture, their talent and personality that allowed us to have success this season on and off the track.”
Jachno said while she agrees that giving athletes their year of eligibility back was the right thing to do, it’s not completely practical at the Division III level because athletes are unable to get scholarships to make this an affordable option.
For Cash, who has won the HCAC indoor 3k and the HCAC outdoor 5k, along with receiving All-Academic honors, this won’t be a viable option because she plans to attend Yale Divinity School to get her master of divinity next year. Without the plan to come back, Cash said her favorite part about her experience on the team is the relationships she’s been able to build.
“My favorite part about being in track at Bluffton has been the people and the coaches,” Cash said. “The sport itself is rewarding and I enjoy it, but I’ve mostly enjoyed the relationships I’ve built over the years.”
Knowing she won’t be able to coach most, if any, of the senior athletes again, Jachno said her message to the seniors is a thank you for making her two years at Bluffton so memorable.
“From funny moments to breakthroughs, we’ve had quite the ride and I’m so happy it was with this group,” Jachno said. “This team will not be the same without you. I wish I had one more season with you. You all will be truly missed and I have no doubt that whatever you do in your future you will be a huge success.”
Brantley Curnutte and Adam Duncan, baseball
Senior baseball athlete Brantley Curnutte. Photo courtesy of Claire Clay.
After spending 16 years playing baseball, and coming back to Bluffton this season as a fifth-year senior after a UCL tear, Brantley Curnutte said the news of the cancellation was hard to take.
“There were a lot of tears shed when we found out we were going home,” Curnutte said. “All the seniors gave a speech and that added to the sorrow.”
Adam Duncan, another senior on the team, has been playing baseball since he was four years old, making this his 19th season. Both Duncan and Curnutte said their favorite part about playing baseball for Bluffton has been the relationship with their teammates.
“We’re a family and we all love each other like brothers, and when our time is shortened like that, it’s tough because we had so many goals we wanted to achieve and things to accomplish,” Duncan said.
Head coach James Grandey said this year’s senior class was an interesting mix of a fifth-year senior, three seniors that have played a lot and several who didn’t.
Senior baseball athlete Adam Duncan. Photo courtesy of Claire Clay.
“Collectively, their experience has shown all the great things about Division III in that you can continue your playing career, glean a lot of benefits from being committed to a program even without playing time, and make life-long relationships,” Grandey said.
Curnutte said he feels like it would be hard to use his eligibility anywhere else because of his loyalty to Bluffton.
“I was lucky enough to come back for the fifth year, and in the back of my head, I knew that,” Curnutte said. “I was just grateful for my time spent with my teammates and coaches.”
Grandey said there’s a sense of disappointment and sadness in knowing the season is over after seeing how hard his players worked.
“They certainly raised the floor on what our expectations are for the non-traditional season and off-season,” Grandey said. “There is a degree of trauma to all of this, and I’m concerned about how the team will manage their emotions, thoughts and feelings moving forward.”
