Eligibility is one of the most important factors in a student-athletes collegiate career. After all, it determines whether they are allowed to compete and play. In 2020, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) granted any student-athlete the opportunity to extend their eligibility if their team was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it reshaped the landscape of college athletics.
This policy aimed to compensate athletes for disrupted seasons and allowed many across the nation to extend their eligibility to five years rather than the standard four. Additionally, student-athletes can earn an extra year of eligibility by redshirting, a practice where they choose not to compete during certain seasons.
Fifth year athletes within college institutions are becoming increasingly popular, as many individuals opt to use their extra year of eligibility to further their academic and athletic careers to give themselves an opportunity to compete at their highest potential. This trend is particularly evident at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB).
Under normal circumstances, NCAA student athletes have four years of eligibility to compete in their chosen sport. Redshirting allows athletes to save one of those years for later use if they meet specific criteria, such as recovering from an injury or as part of a strategic decision with their coach. The COVID-19 eligibility extension disrupted this structure and allowed athletes competing during the pandemic years to have an additional year of eligibility to compete. This change created a unique cohort of athletes who could compete for a fifth or even a sixth year, depending on their redshirt status.
For student-athletes, the extra eligibility has been a game changer. Alli Misialek, a fifth-year student-athlete on the UWGB swim and dive team, shared that the extra eligibility provided her with an opportunity. “The extra eligibility gave me the opportunity to take another year of swimming, which I obviously really enjoy, and it was a great situation with being able to complete a master’s program within that year,” said Misialek.
It is also clear that the extra eligibility can impact athletes in more ways than just an extra year of playing their sport or undertaking further study. “I’ve been able to help my teammates out a lot, especially those younger people and the freshman this year. Since I’m older than them, I understand the transition into college better and realize what their goals may be around and how to achieve them,” said Misialek. The opportunity to use a year of extra eligibility can be beneficial to athletes in a range of ways, and if an athlete has this option, it is recommended they try to make the most of it. “I’d say do it. There’s never going to be another chance where you can be in college athletics. I think that it’s a really great experience and opportunity, and while you can do it, you may as well take advantage of it,” shared Misialek.
From a team perspective, having fifth-year athletes on a squad can provide advantages. Alex Lewis, Head Coach of the UWGB swim and dive team, shared that he currently has three fifth-year athletes on his team: Alli Misialek, Ella Anderson, and Sebastian Smolecki. Fifth-year athletes can be beneficial for any athletic team, and they provide a depth of expertise and knowledge. “It’s been huge for our team dynamics. As a fairly new coach starting my fourth year, having those fifth years on the team has been big for maintaining tradition, maintaining culture, and giving guidance to the younger athletes,” said Lewis.
There may be some challenges to including fifth-year athletes into the program for longer than anticipated, particularly around the recruitment of incoming athletes, but this has not been a prominent issue for the UWGB team. “Knowing they’re coming back for a year and not recruiting that spot. It has been challenging but knowing they will be staying from talking to those athletes regularly, it’s easier for me knowing I don’t have to recruit those spots”, shared Lewis. It’s clear that the inclusion of fifth-year athletes in an athletic team brings benefits that far outweigh any potential challenges. “This is the second year in a row where we’re a big freshman class, and with the fifth years, it makes our senior class very large, so it helps and balances that out. Those fifth-year athletes certainly give advice and some guidance, which is helpful,” shared Lewis.
For athletic institutions, managing fifth-year athletes has required careful planning. Senior Associate Athletic Director (AD) at UWGB, Kassie Wagner, views the NCAA’s decision to grant extra eligibility as an opportunity but also acknowledges the impact it has on sports programs and coaches. “It’s great to see student-athletes get that additional year. With that comes a lot of different fiscal responsibilities for coaches,” said Wagner. It’s evident that two important factors that need to be taken into consideration around fifth-year athletes are planning and funding. “Coaches are having to plan out if someone is going to take a fifth year, and how that impacts their budget prior to the roster limit… it is a lot of pre-planning, and then also knowing that with that fifth year, most of the time student-athletes are seeking graduate degrees, which cost more money,” shared Wagner.
Tough decisions do have to be made around fifth-year student-athletes and whether the institution is looking to have them stay and continue to support them. “Sometimes we’re glad to see someone come back for their fifth year, and we are happy to pay that money… most of the time, coaches know quickly, like listen, for your fourth or fifth year, you’re not going to have a spot. Let’s talk about entering the transfer portal, let’s get you to graduate,” said Wagner. With the new roster limits that will come into place next year, Wagner noted how the playing field for fifth-year athletes would change. Wagner said, “I think it will drastically alter certain sports like swim and dive, our rosters have to go down a lot, soccer, our rosters are going down, basketball, our rosters are going up.”
The NCAA’s choice to allow extra eligibility has had a substantial impact on college sports, benefiting athletes, teams, and institutions in numerous ways. For fifth-year student-athletes, this extension has offered a chance to fulfill academic and athletic goals that may have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Athletic teams gained valuable experience and leadership from having athletes stay an extra year but also faced some logistical challenges. Institutions benefited from having greater performances and visibility.
As this unique cohort of student-athletes continues to leave their mark on college athletics, it is widely hoped that this opportunity of extra eligibility, in turn, leaves a long-lasting, positive impact on those athletes.
