Lang
4/10/20
A University of Iowa national track and field champion says her coach has told her team that the school will cover athletic scholarships for all spring seniors who wish to return next year.
That comes from Laulauga Tausaga, who won the 2019 NCAA discus championship. Tausaga tweeted a screen shot Friday night of a text message she received from head coach Joey Woody, who wrote, “I’m excited to announce that after a lot of long discussions, our administration has decided to cover all senior athletic scholarships”. Woody clarifies that the UI would match athletes’ current scholarships for the 2021 season for seniors who decide to return.
Spring sports were canceled last month due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCAA later ruled that due to the extenuating circumstances, seniors in spring sports could return for another season in 2021.
Tausaga wrote that she was “incredibly proud” to call herself a Hawkeye and thankful to what she called an “amazing” coaching staff and administration. She added, “See y’all in 2021”.
Along with track and field, other spring sports include baseball and softball, among others.
Earlier this week Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez declined offering an extra year of scholarships to 2020 spring sports seniors, saying that granting those scholarships for next season would create a financial burden for the university.
