The Impact of the Pandemic on College Running Teams
By: Amy J. Wall
Tags: Sports, Education, Running, Fitness, Coronavirus

Looking back in 2020 with the Miami Redhawks

It was March 2020. Director and head coach of the Miami Redhawks track and cross country team, Thomas Chorny checked in at the hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They were there for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. At the last minute, they were told they had to go home. The entire meet was canceled.

They packed their bags and arranged flights home immediately. By the time they made it back to Ohio, the remaining team members who were not attending the championships already left the campus. There was no team meeting or a chance to say goodbye.

This is when the reality for Chorny hit. The indoor track and field season ended abruptly, and it looked as though the outdoor season would suffer the same fate. Reflecting on how hard they trained to get where they were, ending in that manner was difficult. Adding to this sinking feeling was the reality of the effects it would have on his graduating seniors.

The seniors in 2020 were a special group for Chorny since they were the first of his recruiting class. He knew these seniors would be unable to finish their college running careers. It not only impacted their remaining track and field season but potentially their entire running careers ahead of them. How many of these athletes would spend a lifetime wondering how their careers may have been different had they had the chance to finish off the year strong?

Returning Athletes in fall 2020

For the runners returning to the Redhawk campus in fall 2020, the season was anything but normal. In-school-learning didn’t happen until October. Once it began, team practices started up again. It was the first time they came together since March. The team looked different, however. Several athletes, both walk-ons and runners with scholarships, opted to stay home rather than risk being on campus.

The Redhawk athletes who did return had a wider range of fitness than normal. Some of Chorny’s returning athletes found the extra time off as an opportunity to continue training and working on their fitness. Other athletes suffered from a lack of motivation due to the uncertainty around what kind of season would be available to them when they returned. The collegiate level runners work at a very high intensity. Pushing themselves and managing injuries along the way is a high price to pay if races end up canceled in the end.

Chorny, along with other college running coaches, had no experience dealing with these new challenges. Many unprecedented changes arose as the NCAA pieced together the remainder of the cross country and track seasons. To add to the mix were concerns over protecting athletes from the virus itself, which included physical distancing and masks during training.

Despite the difficulties, the Miami Redhawk runners trained hard and were able to participate in a last-minute season. The Mid-American Conference (MAC) approved three races and a conference championship. The Redhawks ended strong with a second-place finish for their men’s team and fourth for the women.

A strange Spring 2021 season

At the end of September, the NCAA Division 1 Council approved a cross country championship race on March 15th, 2021 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. While many celebrated the fact that a cross country meet would take place, it poses strategic difficulties for college runners participating in both track and cross country.

When collegiate athletes return from Christmas break, those who also run track start preparing for their upcoming indoor season. Since track races are shorter and faster, the training shifts to speed-oriented sessions. Overlapping the two sports is tricky from a training perspective.

Combining these two seasons have an additional challenge. To fit both championship races into a spring timeline means the races are a little close for comfort. One of Chorny’s track athletes is also a top 8k runner who was selected to participate in the NCAA Championships in March. If the indoor season isn’t canceled, this athlete will participate in an 800-meter race on Saturday and an 8k two days later — too soon for a runner to be fully recovered.

Looking forward

Although the coming college spring races will lead to some interesting challenges, athletes and coaches are relieved there is a season at all. Perhaps the senior class of 2021 will not suffer the same fate as the class of 2020.

However, as things begin to head back to normal, there is a group of collegiate athletes that will continue being impacted by the chaos created by the COVID-19 pandemic — incoming freshman.

To account for lost seasons, the NCAA expanded eligibility to current athletes. In a normal college term, athletes are allowed to compete for four years, with one additional year where athletes “redshirt,” which means they can train, but not compete. To prevent college athletes from losing out on a competition year, the NCAA offered eligibility relief for missed seasons due to the pandemic.

With the NCAA eligibility changes, this means students can now train and compete for a total of six years instead of five (four years plus one “redshirt” year). For incoming freshmen, the repercussions mean there will be fewer spots available for scholarships and in some colleges for spots on the team altogether.

The extra year of eligibility will continue to be a factor for another four years as freshmen move through the system. Current high school seniors will have less chance of ending up on these teams, which also means a decreased chance of ending up on elite teams.

Recruiting

High school seniors are also finding it difficult to gain attention for college recruitment. These challenges are covered in more depth in the following article:

Chorny is navigating this new world of recruiting as well. The inability to see potential recruits in a racing environment makes it riskier to commit to incoming athletes. Not all runners thrive under pressure, so although seeing filmed time trials is helpful, it isn’t the most reliable way to recruit an athlete.

At the same time, these athletes are going out of their way to organize the filming of their time trials. Their continued training and motivation show coaches they have initiative. These traits are imperative for a successful running career. Perhaps this poses a rare opportunity for coaches to understand which athletes are committed at a higher level than their peers.