The Big South Conference announced on Aug. 12 that fall sports would be delayed with the hopes of competing those seasons in the spring. This announcement affects several Winthrop sports teams, including volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, in addition to fall competitions in men’s and women’s golf, and any out-of-season competition in spring sports.
While the Big South’s decision may have come as a surprise to some, many coaches and players were less than shocked.
“We kind of felt that this was going to happen,” head cross country coach Ben Paxton said.
Paxton, who also coaches track and field at Winthrop, expressed concern that the indoor track and field season, which normally takes place from January into March, might also be in jeopardy.
“Especially when you put 60 teams (for a total of) 2,000 athletes in an 800 square foot building,” Paxton said. “I don’t foresee that happening.”
Paxton said that conversations among some conferences and the NCAA are currently suggesting that the cross country season could replace indoor track and field and occur between January and March, followed by the usual outdoor track and field season.
Perhaps the largest change cross country athletes would need to adjust to if they were to begin competing in January would be the difference in temperature. However, Paxton does not think cold weather would have a negative impact on performance.
“As I told a Northern coach who was complaining about possibly moving to the spring, they said ‘You don’t know what winters are like up north,’ and I said ‘You don’t know what cross country is like in South Carolina in September.’”
Paxton noted that, for cross country athletes, “it’s much easier to put clothes on than to take them off.”
Paxton is most worried about the effects of losing cross country this fall on incoming freshmen. “You worry about their feelings because they’re going to get robbed of the experience that most everybody had,” he said.
Head volleyball coach Chuck Rey pointed out that the lack of competitions during the fall semester could actually be helpful to the freshmen on his team.
“When they first come in freshman year they go right into season and it’s hard for them,” Rey said. “Now, they’re going to have four or five months more to acclimate to the game and to be a college student, which is fantastic.”
Rey said the volleyball team has been practicing on a volunteer basis since mid-July, wearing masks and often working in small groups while doing so. He said the team is taking many preventative measures this fall.
“We disinfect the balls – we wipe them down every day – (as well as) the nets and the poles. We’ve had to buy different masks – ones that have a little bit more of a breathability to them.”
Rey said the team has also considered splitting into two practice squads and utilizing an “A” and “B” day schedule. He said he would coach half the team on “A” days while his assistant coach, Becca Acevedo, would coach the other half on “B” days. This would prevent the entire team from needing to quarantine if one player tested positive and could keep Winthrop from being required to forfeit or reschedule a match once the season begins.
In 2019, the Winthrop volleyball team finished with a record of 24-5 overall, going undefeated in conference play and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. One thing Rey wants to make sure of this fall is that his team does not lose sight of that success.
“I don’t want this time to go away from us and not remember what it was like to play so well and be able to compete against a really high-level team,” he said.
Rey said Winthrop had originally planned to begin the season on the road against Nebraska this fall, with matchups against Georgia and Purdue also on the schedule. He said he hopes that despite the season being delayed, Winthrop will still get an opportunity to play against a high-level team again soon.
Of course, the success of Winthrop’s programs and their ability to play later this school year is contingent upon how the coronavirus continues to affect the country, the state of South Carolina, and the Winthrop community.
One way Paxton plans to keep his cross country athletes healthy is by limiting the amount of time they practice.
“Studying this disease, if you break down and get worn down, then you’re that much more susceptible to it.”
Paxton also said that when his athletes aren’t practicing, they need to be making smart decisions, “like not going to parties and not going home.”
He said this would be the responsibility of all students if they wish to remain on campus this fall and get to play sports later this school year.
Photo by Kaily Paddie
