When the 2020 NCAA Championships Came to a Crashing Halt
With the 2021 NCAA Championships scheduled to start tomorrow, this week marks an exciting time for the sport – its athletes, coaches and fans. Perseverance and patience have led many to arrive in Greensboro with high hopes, and eager to return to racing on the college scene’s biggest stage. Unfortunately, many athletes did not get the sendoff they desired and deserved during their senior years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is Dan D’Addona’s article from last year that examined the impact of the canceled NCAA Championships.
After the NCAA swimming championships were canceled because of the coronavirus, the emotional toll of the monumental decision began to rise.
Anger.
Sadness.
Disappointment.
Devastation.
While everyone seemingly is on the same page about this having to happen, it still is devastating to athletes missing their final competitions — especially the seniors. It leads to an endless list of: “What ifs?” for NCAA swimming.
Photo Courtesy: Daryl Marshke
“That is the biggest things, the ‘what ifs?’ It was such an abrupt end,” Michigan senior Miranda Tucker told Swimming World.
Tucker was a senior poised to make a run at the NCAA swimming title in the 100 breaststroke.
“It hurts a lot. I am not gonna lie. I had been feeling the best I had all year. Everything was going in the right direction,” Tucker said. “I finally had a true belief in myself. I am capable of great things and I was ready to let it rock.”
She was not alone.
Seniors across the country were looking to make their final mark on the sport.
“My first heart-felt thoughts go out to the seniors. It is an absolute nightmare. It is powerful stuff when you have to mess with kids’ dreams,” Georgia coach Jack Bauerle said. “It is like all dressed up and nowhere to go. All the banners were in the pool when we got there, the place looked perfect and then no meet. It was a downer.”
How about the team race? Would Stanford’s depth reign supreme again? Would upstart Virginia or Cal or Tennessee be able to catch them? Could Michigan and NC State break into the trophies? Could Florida surge back into the top 10? Would USC’s relays propel the Trojans even higher this year?
For the women’s meet, the list of senior contenders is nearly too long to list.
Cal’s Abbey Weitzeil, Wisconsin’s Beata Nelson, and USC’s Louise Hansson were all looking to cement their legacy after winning national championships last year.
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Stanford’s Katie Drabot was looking for a redemption meet after how her junior NCAAs went.
“It is not easy at all. I wish I had a chance to show everyone what I have been working for this year. This is not the way I wanted to end my senior year. But it is more important to stay safe and stay healthy and try to get back to a normal life,” Drabot said. “One thing that has really helped me is that it is not just me. So many people are experiencing the same thing. That at least is comforting. But I really feel bad for those seniors who same in their last meets without them knowing.”
NC State’s Ky-lee Perry was looking to prove she was an elite sprinter with a fast finish. Georgia senior 200 free specialist Veronica Burchill, OSU miler Molly Kowal, Tennessee’s Tess Cieplucha, Louisville’s Grace Oglesby and Minnesota senior breaststroker Lindsey Kozelsky were all in line to win their first individual title.
How about the what-could-have-been battle between Weitzeil, Tennessee senior Erika Brown and Arkansas senior Anna Hopkin in the sprints?
Or the backstroke seniors with Nelson, Kentucky’s Asia Seidt and Ali Galyer, Florida’s Sherridon Dressel, Virginia’s Megan Moroney and Texas’ Claire Adams.
Those are just a few of the elite seniors who made the NCAA swimming women’s meet.
“I have been keeping contact with a lot of seniors around the NCAA. Lindsey (Kozelsky) and I have been texting each other. We are all in this together,” Tucker said. “All the swimmers have banded together making sure we are all OK and trying to give each other hope.”
For Tucker, Nelson, Weitzeil, Perry and others, that hope is aided by the fact that their swimming careers are not over. They are hoping to compete at the U.S. Olympic trials.
“We can’t just give up. There is still the Olympic trials and the future ahead of us,” Tucker said.
But some of the seniors who missed out are finished. Some made the NCAA meet for the very first time and will never get that experience.
“This is for the greater good and beyond sports,” Tucker said. “But you can’t deny that it is hurting a lot of us. Everything was going great and we were ready to go. We sat down and Mike Bottom’s voice started to crack. I am going through the stages of grief. I was in disbelief, then anger. This is another thing we have to adapt to. This is something that we are all still trying to piece together. There is still the understanding that this is something that had to happen for those around us. If one of us got sick, it would affect all of us.”
Tucker’s career has been full of adversity, which doesn’t make this any easier, but has helped her deal with it.
“I have had so many things happen to me in my career help me respond to this. My whole career has been a bunch of rocky roads, tackling my physical health and mental health. If I was able to get through all of those obstacles, this is just another one,” she said. “I hope that this all calms down soon so people can get back to work. But the biggest things is staying healthy and taking care of everyone else around you. It is so much better in the long run. I truly feel for the seniors who this was the end.”
Just about everyone agrees that these drastic measures had to be taken, but the sting and the “What ifs?” will never go away.