Hawaii athletics: List of student-athletes expected to have senior years cut short due to coronavirus threat
Some 56 University of Hawaii student-athletes were likely impacted more than the hundreds of others with Thursday’s news of NCAA sports championships being canceled through the spring.
The seniors and graduate students.
Some were at the tail end of their college careers, like the five basketball players who had the Big West tournaments pulled out from underneath them. Others were less than halfway through their season, like baseball and softball.
Barring sports being reinstated in the coming weeks, or some form of eligibility relief from the NCAA in the form of a waiver or special exemption for next year, their playing days at UH are over.
UPDATE: There is a petition circulating for the NCAA to extend eligibility for affected seniors nationwide.
UPDATE II: On Friday, the NCAA put forth the possibility of extended eligibility for all spring sports student-athletes (not just seniors).
Here they are, by sport.
Baseball
>> Brennen Hancock
>> Ryder Kuhns
>> Tyler Murray
>> Logan Pouelsen
Beach volleyball
>> Amy Ozee
>> Norene Iosia
>> Julia Scoles
>> Morgan Martin
>> Harlee Kekauoha
Cheerleading
>> Christian Feliciano
>> Alyssa Witney Lott
>> Chance Lutostanski
Golf (men)
>> Trevor Hirata
>> Nick Nelson
Golf (women)
>> Malia Ebersberger
>> Megan Ratcliffe
Men’s basketball
>> Zigmars Raimo
>> Eddie Stansberry
Women’s basketball
>> Courtney Middap
>> Savannah Reier
>> Julissa Tago
Sailing
>> Isabelle Anderson
>> Megan Lucas
>> Patrick Wilkinson
Softball
>> Callee Heen
>> Angelique “Cheeks” Ramos
Swimming/Diving (men)
>> Mateusz Chaba
>> Lucas Cooperman
>> Kane Follows
>> Olli Kokko
>> Grant Newcombe
>> Josh Parmenter
>> David Springhetti
>> Kyle Swardenski
Swimming/diving (women)
>> Phoebe Hines
>> Jami Stone
>> Katrina Sudweeks
>> Sophia Taylor
Tennis (men)
>> Chia-hua Lu
Tennis (women)
>> Nikola Dolakova
>> Petra Melounova
>> Michelle Pits
Track and field
>> Calli-Ann Abbott
>> Alexis Brenzil
>> Natasha Currence
>> Tatiana Desender
>> Megan Fereira
>> Teuila Gardner
>> Shannon McClish
>> Tristan Setzer
>> Aubrie Usui
Volleyball (men)
>> James Anastassiades
>> Patrick Gasman
>> Colton Cowell
>> Rado Parapunov
Water polo
>> Samantha Malouff
Thanks for putting this list together, Brian. Most people knew about the basketball and volleyball players, but so many others in other sports are affected too. There’s a change.org petition asking the NCAA to give these seniors and others at other institutions another year of eligibility. https://www.change.org/p/ncaa-let-ncaa-athletes-get-a-year-of-eligibility-back?recruiter=934425688&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial&recruited_by_id=346421a0-290a-11e9-ac77-57323d84e554&utm_content=fht-20799980-en-us%3Av2
Honestly, I feel like it’s unfair for the NCAA to do this to all the schools. This is basically a giant middle finger to the athletics directors. Most of the sports programs probably have not gotten started conference play and this is how you repay them back? I feel like the seniors should be given the opportunity to redshirt just because the coronavirus thing was out of their control and they couldn’t do anything about it, and to cut their senior years short just because of this is unfair to the schools.
It’s a buzzkill to even imagine how much the fanbase will be groaning on about, especially with some of our current UH sports programs now starting to find its stride, women’s water polo, men’s tennis, baseball, and men’s volleyball in particular.
I feel like the ADs for all DI schools should take notice on this because you get the sense that the seniors for the respective sport they played worked hard to get where they’re at, and to take it all away is unfair and disheartening for them. They deserve better than that. And I think they should be given the chance to finish positively on a strong note.
Unless you have your head in the sand, this action was mandatory. However, Matt is correct … all student athletes should have a year’s eligibility added for their option to play. That is what the ADs should be seeking for their student athletes.