While there’s a lot of discussion around struggles incoming students have to bear in an online-only environment, the students who are in their final year having to miss out on their last chance to play the sport they love for their school have their own struggles to go through. 

This is especially difficult for athletes who have won their conference titles the prior season, such as Kaitlyn Ohrtman on the women’s cross-country team. 

Ohrtman is a graduate student now hoping to get her master’s degree in Psychology. Last semester was shaky enough with the transition from in-person to online classes for Ohrtman, who enjoys the former more. The cancellation of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference fall season added some more disappointment to the graduate student’s last year. 

“We had a little bit of hope, I think,” Ohrtman said via phone call when asked about the fall season. “I was really excited for this year. We had a really great team coming in.” 

The MAAC All-Academic Team honoree is still grateful she’s able to train with her teammates during this now offseason. Doubts had always surrounded the practicality of the season going on, but hopes were high that some sort of team activity would still be available, according to Ohrtman.  

Hopes set for this season have been dashed now for Ohrtman as well, ending the short-term goals to do better in the NCAA Northeast Regional Cross-Country Championship and getting the team to the NCAA Cross–Country Championship. Despite losing these opportunities, Ohrtman has her eyes set on performing during the indoor and outdoor track seasons coming up in the spring. 

“I’ll definitely shift my focus to more racing goals for track,” Ohrtman said. “I really want to make it to the NCAAs for the 1,500, that’s been my goal for like, forever.” 

The cross-country team’s training hopes to keep them in shape from the spring season, even without all of the usual parts of the training, such as ice baths and massages, due to coronavirus restrictions.