By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam
Ivy League student-athletes from the class of 2021 whose seasons were canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic have been given the opportunity to complete their athletic eligibility next year. However, they must enroll as full-time graduate students at their current schools in 2021-22, and must be admitted to a degree-granting program through the “normal” application process.
Seniors on fall and winter sports teams received an email today from The Ivy League notifying them of this one-year exception to the conference’s rule that only undergraduate students may compete on athletic teams. The communication said, “In granting this waiver, the presidents acknowledge the unique impact of the pandemic during the current academic year across all three sport seasons for those students in their final year of Ivy League eligibility. This change is a direct result of the pandemic and will not be available in future years.”
The unprecedented move by the Ivy League Council of Presidents, who voted to allow the one-year waiver, is a reversal of their position last spring. In April, the Ivy League presidents announced there would be no change to their long-standing policy of banning graduate students from competing on varsity teams. This led to an exodus of student-athletes in sports such as lacrosse, where Ivy teams have won NCAA titles in the past. In August, Princeton swimmer Addison Smith announced her move to North Carolina for 2020-21. More recently, Jaycee Yegher from Harvard said she would finish her eligibility at Virginia while enrolled in a master’s program.
It is unclear how many student-athletes from the class of 2021 will be able to take advantage of the temporary waiver, given that most graduate school applications were due in January.
The Ivy League has yet to make a public announcement about this change in policy.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: The Ivy League to Allow Current Seniors to Compete as Grad Students Next Year
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