OCU Athletics dealt with the effects of COVID-19 for a full year.
On March 11, 2020, the National Basketball Association suspended operations after the Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, and Oklahoma City University announced classes would move online March 23 – April 5.
The women’s basketball team was preparing to compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament March 18 against Evangel University (Mo.) at First Interstate Arena in Billings, Mo.
The women’s wrestling team had just finished third in the Sooner Athletic Conference Women’s Wrestling Championships and had arrived in Jamestown, N.D. to compete in the NAIA Women’s Wrestling Invitational March 13-14 at Harold Newman Arena.
OCU cheer and pom/dance had just arrived in Davenport, Iowa for the March 13 NAIA Competitive Cheer and Dance National Championships.
The other sports teams were preparing for games, invitationals and competitions nationwide.
On March 12, the NAIA canceled all winter championships out of an abundance of caution.
“The health and safety of our student-athletes, as well as all involved in our championship events, is the NAIA’s highest priority,” the NAIA national office stated. “We will continue to monitor COVID-19 developments and NAIA leadership will work closely with our member institutions to determine the best path forward for future NAIA events, including all spring 2020 championships.”
With that announcement, OCU women’s basketball, women’s wrestling, competitive cheer and pom/dance lost their opportunities to become 2019-2020 national champions.
Abby Selzer, criminal justice junior and basketball center, said she found out about the suspension while getting her nails done with a friend.
“Our coach had called one of the seniors to tell her about it before anyone saw it on the news or social media, and so she called us and told us while we were there,” Selzer said.
Later that afternoon, the SAC indefinitely suspended all practices and competitions for its 11 member institutions.
Unbeknownst to student athletes, faculty and fans at the time, this suspension marked the end of the 2019-20 OCU Athletics season.
On March 16, 2020, the NAIA announced the cancellation of the spring 2020 sports season, effective immediately.
In the same announcement, the NAIA awarded all spring sport student-athletes who were enrolled full-time in 2020 two additional semester terms of attendance, or the equivalent.
Jim Abbott, OCU athletics director, released a statement addressing the situation March 17.
“Our primary concern is alleviating any challenges or anxiety for our students. Honestly, we are all still adjusting to the new reality of our lives without the sports that we love. For many of us, this is the first spring break we can remember when we didn’t have a game to prepare for,” Abbott stated. “We are more grateful than ever for the support that you provide our university and department. Please keep our students, coaches and administrators in your thoughts and prayers. We long for the day that we will resume normal activities and once again be able to do what we love.”
As COVID-19 cases rose in the U.S., OCU student-athletes anticipated their eventual return to competitive sports and tried to keep their minds and bodies active.
“It was kind of hard to deal with at first, but it was nice to be at home with my family, so I spent a lot of time with them, and we did home workout-type things,” Selzer said. “I did a lot of running on the road to stay in shape, but mentally, we had a lot of team Zoom meetings so we could still talk to each other and get to be around each other, in a way, just so that we could all stay on the same page.”
On July 31, the SAC announced they were building new schedules for 2020 fall sports due to NAIA fall national championship delays, with cross country, soccer and volleyball dividing their games between the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters.
On Aug. 21, OCU Athletics announced their intention to resume competitions for the fall 2020 semester, with several COVID-19 safety protocols, including daily monitored health assessments and temperature checks for athletics members, and limiting practices to small groups under coach supervision. They announced a tentative schedule for the fall portion of the season and acknowledged the schedule’s potential to change.
On Sept. 10, university administration made the decision to delay the start of the 2020-21 season, in conjunction with OCU Athletics. While the Stars would continue to compete in men’s and women’s golf because of their outdoor settings and limited contact between players, all other fall sports would continue practicing but could not begin their seasons until spring 2021.
“These are gut-wrenching decisions for all involved, but the safety, health and well-being of our students and staff must remain our top priority,” Abbott wrote in a statement.
Selzer said teams’ practices were limited to three players for the first half of the fall semester, and five for the second half.
“So, I mean, our practices were very small. We wore masks the entire time. We tried to stay six feet apart, so we really weren’t near each other,” Selzer said.
Sydney Freund, biomedical science senior and women’s wrestler, said COVID-19 protocols have made practices more challenging, but not impossible.
“Wrestling is difficult with a mask,” Freund said. “It’s one of the only sports where you’re constantly touching somebody else.”
Freund said if wrestlers can learn to practice with masks, anyone can.
“Although we have all been affected by the pandemic, we don’t let it stop us,” Freund said. “We still planned on having a really successful season and continuing to learn and grow in our sport.”
On Dec. 7, OCU Athletics announced the delay of all athletic competitions and practices until Jan. 15, 2021, due to the continued increase of COVID-19 cases in the surrounding area. Athletic activities resumed Jan. 15 with spectators prohibited.
On Feb. 25, 2021, OCU Athletics updated their COVID-19 protocols, allowing a maximum of 50 spectators at home competitions, with attendees required to wear masks indoors in shared spaces and socially distance six feet from others at all times. Fans must be on each of the teams’ pass lists to be permitted entry. The guidelines also require coaches, student athletes and personnel on the sidelines to wear masks or face shields during competitions.
Selzer said the women’s basketball team faced some COVID-19-related complications during the spring 2021 season.
“We started the season on Jan. 2, or I think somewhere around there, and we were able to play three games until one of our players actually tested positive for COVID, and we were sent home for 14 days under quarantine,” Selzer said. “So, because of that, we didn’t get to practice. We weren’t allowed in gyms. We were all quarantined in our homes and weren’t able to do much, and when we got back there was a giant snowstorm, so everything was canceled for another week.”
Selzer said these cancellations resulted in the team’s season lasting only around three and a half weeks.
“It was different, for sure,” Selzer said.
Selzer said the team never knew what was coming next.
“I wish everyone knew how hard it was on you, mentally, to not know what was going to happen, because every time we go in to take a COVID test, we don’t know if that’s the end of our season, or if we’re done for 14 days,” Selzer said. “I mean, it’s pretty stressful in that sense because you never know what’s going to happen.”
Selzer said she was proud of the team’s resilience over the past year, even in the most challenging of circumstances.
“When we played our first game, we were playing a team that had already played 15 games, and we had only practiced for a week and hadn’t played anyone yet,” Selzer said.
Selzer said the team was able to do something she wouldn’t have imagined just by working hard and staying positive.
Freund said everyone she knows in the athletics department has stayed determined during times of uncertainty.
“They don’t let the pandemic stop what they’re set out to do,” Freund said. “Actually, even outside of sports, everyone at OCU is like that. They don’t let it stop their art, or their dance or anything, and I think that’s really important.”
For sports-related COVID-19 updates, fans can visit the OCUSports website or the MediaOCU sports page.
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