Breaking News: Wisconsin Won’t Allow Spring Sport Seniors to Return in 2021

According to today’s Wisconsin State Journal, the University of Wisconsin will not allow spring sports seniors to return for another season of competition in 2021.

In a statement released by the athletic department Thursday, Wisconsin said that it had “made the decision to not pursue waivers that would extend the eligibility of our senior student-athletes,” according to a statement from the athletic department. “Student-athletes in their fourth year of eligibility have concluded their careers with us.”

Part of the school’s reasons was that a “substantial percentage of the seniors that were eligible to return under the NCAA’s waiver are schedule to graduate before next spring.”

The Badgers have close to three dozen seniors in 10 sports including softball. Head Coach Yvette Healy’s softball roster lists five seniors—pitcher Caroline Hedgcock; infielder/DP Kayla Konwent; pitcher Kaitlyn Menz; infielder Jordan Little; and outfielder Heather Rudnicki and one graduate student, Stephanie Lombardo.

On his monthly radio show in Wisconsin yesterday, Alvarez told WIBA-AM listeners that “What we tried to do was encourage our seniors to go ahead and, if you’re going to graduate, graduate and move on with your life. We appreciate everything that you’ve done. But move forward. The future is in question, and we can’t promise you anything.”

The NCAA Division I Council had voted and announced its ruling on March 30 that college athletes who had this year’s seasons cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic could have a year of eligibility restored. However, the NCAA left it up to the schools if they wanted to provide the financial aid that would allow the seniors to return while also dealing with the complexities of having new freshmen come in this fall and count towards the number and dollar amount of scholarship.

Wisconsin is the first Power 5 Conference school to announce that its seniors that they will not be allowed to return and make up the lost time because of the premature end to the spring sports seasons in 2020.