Football players aren’t the only Big Ten Conference athletes faced with losing a season they’ve been working toward for months.
When the conference announced last week it was postponing all fall sports because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it left athletes in seven sports without a season of competition.
“I think most of us saw it coming, probably even expected it with everything that is going on,’’ said Konnor Sommer, a University of Iowa cross country athlete from Pleasant Valley. “Even though a sport like cross country is about as safe as it gets, we’re impacted.’’
And the disappointment, the frustration for Hawkeyes competing in men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball isn’t any different than the emotions being felt right now by Iowa football players.
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“You put in the work to get ready and then all of a sudden, the season is gone, that’s tough,’’ said Iowa cross country runner Spencer Smith, a junior from Rock Island Alleman. “Everybody understands the importance of staying safe and all of that, but as an athlete, you enjoy the chance to compete and the past few months that chance hasn’t been there.’’
Smith said he missed the opportunity to participate in traditional summer road races in the Quad-Cities, mentioning the Firecracker Run and the Quad-City Times Bix 7 as part of his summer routine.
That only added to the frustration felt by Smith, who along with other Iowa cross country athletes find themselves dealing with another canceled season.
Some Hawkeyes, including men’s multi-events specialist Will Daniels of Geneseo and women’s track athlete Mallory King of Davenport Assumption, were in Albuquerque, N.M., in March prepared to compete when the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships were canceled on the eve of the first day of competition.
Others, including the cross country athletes, were also part of Hawkeye track teams which had their outdoor season canceled in mid-March at the onset of the coronavirus crisis.
Smith remembers it well.
Just hours before Iowa athletes were told their season was over, Smith had received his varsity jersey in preparation for a spring break training trip and competition in Arizona.
“That really stung,’’ Smith said. “I’ve been around for a couple of years now, working my way up, and it was a season I was really looking forward to and it just didn’t happen.’’
And now, the situation remains the same for Sommer and Smith, who both recorded personal bests as they competed in cross country last season.
The timing works out for Sommer, who planned to redshirt this fall after undergoing surgery three weeks ago to repair a lingering knee injury.
“It’s still tough to deal with,’’ Sommer said. “A lot of guys are pretty upset about it. It’s rough not to have a season. It’s the same in every sport, you put in the hours to prepare and then to have it taken away it’s disheartening.’’
Sommer will continue to rehab his knee throughout the fall in hopes of returning to competition for the indoor track season.
“Hopefully, that will be there,’’ he said.
Sommer said Iowa coaches have offered encouragement and provided ways for their athletes to continue to train even with so much uncertainty surrounding the season.
The Big Ten decision eliminates only competition.
Teams will continue to be allowed to train and practice and Smith returned to campus last week getting ready for team activities to resume although the season is on pause.
“That part of it is strange,’’ Smith said. “We’ll all be training but usually you are preparing for something. Right now, none of us knows for sure what that something is or when it might be.’’
Smith said coaches have helped the team make the most of the situation.
“Going back to spring, there was a lot of positive encouragement," he said. "When the outdoor season was taken away, the focus became centered on training this summer and building a base that would leave us all in a great position heading into cross country.
“It was great motivation in a difficult time and I think we all were ready for the fall. Now, this. It’s a little tough.’’
The Big Ten’s decision to simply walk away from a competitive fall season left a number of questions unanswered.
The impact the canceled season will have on eligibility, scholarships, fifth-year seniors and rosters in general remains undetermined.
“Guys have a lot of questions,’’ Sommer said. “So much is undetermined.’’
Smith, an accounting major, said for athletes in sports where scholarships are allowed to be split into fractions unlike football and basketball where only full scholarships can be given, the impact is real.
“Unless you are working toward a major, I don’t think guys would be inclined to use that additional year of eligibility. Most would probably graduate and get on with their life,’’ Smith said. “It’s a difficult deal.’’
Smith welcomes the chance to participate in team training activities this fall with hopes of preparing for 10K competition outdoors next spring.
“That’s what I’m planning for right now and I’m looking forward to it,’’ he said. “Hopefully, that chance will be there.’’