NCAA to grant all winter sport athletes an additional year of eligibility
It does not matter how much an athlete participates in their upcoming season, they will still have the option to exercise an extra year of eligibility.
Iowa’s 285-pound Tony Cassioppi grapples with Oklahoma State’s Austin Harris during a wrestling dual meet between No. 1 Iowa and No. 9 Oklahoma State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. No. 3 Cassioppi defeated Harris by major decision, 11-1, and the Hawkeyes defeated the Cowboys, 34-6.
October 14, 2020
According to multiple reports, the NCAA Division I Council voted Wednesday in favor of winter sport athletes receiving an additional year of eligibility.
Many sport seasons were halted prematurely in March by COVID-19. The pandemic also canceled spring sporting events, and those athletes already received an extra year of eligibility. On Aug. 21, the NCAA approved a blanket waiver for fall athletes, extending their eligibility for one more year.
Winter sports athletes were not included in the original decision by the NCAA to grant an extra year of eligibility.
Stadium’s Jeff Goodman reported that those who exhausted eligibility will be exempted from counting against scholarship limits. It does not matter how much an athlete competes in their winter sport season, they will have the option to play an extra year.
At Iowa, athletes like Luka Garza and Spencer Lee will have the option to return for another season of their storied careers. This decision by the NCAA allows Lee the opportunity to chase four career individual NCAA wrestling titles.