Surreal, Like in a Movie

That’s one word to describe it.

 

How about unfortunate? Or disappointing? Or unprecedented? Or just plain crazy? Or all of the above.

 

By whatever name, the NCAA’s decision late last week to cancel conference basketball tournaments, March Madness, and the entire spring season in all sports is almost beyond comprehension.

 

Of course, this was no ill-advised decree. The coronavirus had reached pandemic proportions. There was no other choice.

 

So how do the athletes whose seasons ended abruptly deal with this gut punch?

 

Philosophically, one would hope.

 

After all, this plight in which we find ourselves is so much bigger than sports. It’s one of life’s harsh realities. Live long enough, and you learn that life is full of harsh realities. You learn also that it’s not the mettle-testing situation that shows who you are. It’s the manner with which you handle that situation.

 

What follows is a sampling of stories involving Collegiate School graduates who compete in spring sports at the college level. All had an inkling that their seasons could end prematurely. All hoped against hope.  Then, when the unthinkable occurred, they and their teammates were left to sort through their emotions and make sense of the most surreal moment of their lives.

 

Jed O’Neill ’16 is a senior defenseman and team captain for the Kenyon College men’s lacrosse team.

 

On Tuesday, March 10, he and his teammates traveled by bus to Salem, VA, for a 4 p.m. game at Roanoke College the following day, then returned home (Gambier, Ohio) immediately after.

 

“When we played Roanoke, we were 90 percent sure that would be our last game, but Kenyon’s official position was a two-week suspension of athletics,” O’Neill said several days later. “Then Thursday, the NCAA canceled everything.

 

“When the Roanoke game ended, there was still hope that the season would continue. I felt trapped in this state between hope and sadness and despair. When you play in college, you have a full year to prepare for that last game. For me and my fellow seniors, that preparation was compressed into about a 24-hour window.

 

“The not-knowing was surreal. We didn’t get the closure we wanted, but there was really no choice. What’s really, really comforting is that everybody’s going through this.  It’s not just me.”

 

Jordan Marcus ’17, a junior who plays the attack position on Princeton’s women’s lacrosse team, was finally healthy this spring after dealing with a series of injuries in high school and her first two college seasons.

 

This spring, she’d played in five of the Tigers’ games, started one, and contributed one goal and one assist. Last Wednesday, she and her teammates arrived at their weight room for a strength and conditioning session, only to be sent back to their locker room.

 

“On the way, we saw the softball seniors crying outside their locker room,” Marcus said. “At this point, we’d heard nothing, but that’s when we realized what would happen.”

 

The lacrosse crew then headed to their practice field where they learned the news from their coaches.

 

“It was so sad,” Marcus continued. “I happened to be with four of our seniors. I started crying for them, not even for myself.”

 

Losing time – even entire seasons – to injuries steeled Marcus for the challenges she’s now facing.

 

“For the last two years and even in high school,” she said, “I’ve always stepped on the field with the notion that you never know when it’ll be your last time playing. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to feel that before. It taught me to deal with this situation a little better. It doesn’t make it any less hard, though.”

 

Travis Reifsnider ’18 was a multi-sport standout at Collegiate who focused on baseball at James Madison. A 6-4, 195-pound catcher, he was part of a talented, cohesive Dukes squad which had designs on challenging for the Colonial Athletic Association title.

 

Wednesday, they defeated Maryland 4-2 in an afternoon road game, then packed their gear and returned to Harrisonburg.

 

Early in the day, they had heard rumors of cancellations around the country but did their best to wish them away. Then, when they boarded their bus to return home and checked their phones, they found that those rumors were reality.

 

“We saw that the Ivy League had been canceled,” Reifsnider said. “Then all D-III sports. We started taking it a little bit more seriously. We thought, Wow! This could affect us.”

 

The team did community service Thursday morning freshening up the nearby Keezletown Little League facility, then headed to its afternoon workout.

 

“We practiced for about two hours,” Reifsnider said. “I was standing right next to our coach (Marlin Eikenberry) when he got a call. It was pretty obvious that the news was bad. He called the other coaches up, then told us that we had to stop.”

 

By the time the Dukes arrived in their locker room, more news had arrived via Twitter: the NCAA had canceled the entire spring season for everyone.

 

“It happened that fast,” Reifsnider said. “Everyone cleaned out their locker. We said short good-byes. I mean, honestly, there was a chance I might not see some of the seniors again. My heart’s ripped out for them. For some of those guys to have played their last game, had their last at-bat, had their last pitch without knowing it…that’s pretty sad.

 

“I still wake up every morning thinking I’ve had a bad nightmare, everything will be back to normal, and we’ll play 40 more games. I’m starting to come to terms with it, though. It definitely won’t be a quick process.”

 

After missing most of the last two seasons, Gwin Sinnott ’17 had worked her way into a starting role as a defender on the University of Virginia women’s lacrosse squad.

 

In preparation for a home game with Syracuse Thursday, the Cavaliers had a morning shoot-around, then a team meal at 3 p.m. That’s when they got the word.

 

“That’s not the way you want to end the season, especially for the seniors,” she said. “Everyone was shocked that it ended so abruptly. Syracuse was already in town. It was surreal, like in a movie.”

 

The solution, at least for the moment?

 

“We stayed in the building for an hour or so,” Sinnott said. “After that, we went to get ice cream at Chaps and Kilwins on the Downtown Mall with the team and the parents that were there.

 

“Everyone then went their separate ways and figured out what they were going to do. I’ve talked to a lot of my friends. We’re in disbelief. In my head, it’s, Oh, we’ll be back in a week.

 

That said…

 

“This is for the right reasons,” she added. “We have to stop for the safety and greater good of everyone. It puts things into perspective. It’s sad, but this isn’t the end of the world. There’s unity in it all. Everyone’s affected.”

 

Evan Justice ’17, a 6-5, 205-pound lefthander, has pitched for N.C. State, mostly in relief, for three seasons. This past June, he was selected by the Miami Marlins in the 39^th round of the MLB draft but elected to return to Raleigh. He’d appeared in seven of the 14-3 Wolfpack’s games this spring and, with his 95-mile-per-hour fastball, had struck out nine batters in 9.2 innings.

 

On Wednesday, he made an appearance in State’s 8-7 victory over North Carolina A&T. The following evening when he was at his apartment, he learned the sobering news.

 

“Initially, there was disbelief,” Justice said. “You can’t really prepare for something like that. We were getting ready for our second ACC series (against Boston College). Right now, I’m in the process of accepting the whole situation. I know there’re a lot of disappointed seniors who lost their last season.

 

“Classes have been moved online. It’s important to stay focused on them. With baseball, it’s important to stay on top of the throwing program and keeping my body in shape through strength and conditioning. It’s important to keep that drive and find ways to get better.”

 

Jack Rusbuldt ’16, starting goalie on the University of Richmond men’s lacrosse team, was voted Most Outstanding Player in the 2019 Southern Conference tournament on the strength of his record 26 saves.

 

The Spiders opened their tough 2020 schedule 4-3 and, fresh off a 17-4 victory at VMI on March 7, were set to host Bellarmine at Robins Stadium on Saturday the 14^th.

 

“We had a team meeting at 2:30 (Thursday, March 12),” Rusbuldt said. “We thought we’d be watching film (on the upcoming opponent). When we got there, our coach (Dan Chemotti) told us that nothing was set in stone (regarding cancellations) but to be ready for anything.”

 

Rather than prepare specifically for Bellarmine, the Spiders took to their field for an intra-squad scrimmage.

 

“Around halftime, I came out,” Rusbuldt said. “One of the injured guys who was working the scoreboard was on his phone. He gave me a look that it was over.

 

“We finished the scrimmage. Our coach brought us together and told us (the news). People stayed on the field for another hour, just reflecting. Some guys were crying. Some were just sitting there. Some were hugging. It was a big shock. Obviously, there’s a reason behind it. As much as it stinks, in the end it was the smartest thing to do.”

    ~ Weldon Bradshaw