Year 6: The impact and experiences of sixth-year student-athletes

GABE WARE Copy Chief ware.421@osu.edu

Maddy Lowe, a women’s soccer graduate midfielder, had the opportunity to fulfill her dream of playing four seasons of college soccer after battling injuries through an unconventional route — coming back as a sixth year senior.

Most college student-athletes play their sport for four years, with some taking a fifth due to a redshirt or graduate season, but the COVID-19 pandemic saw the NCAA grant student-athletes an additional year of eligibility in 2020-21. Whether it’s through one or several of the more traditional avenues, programs are seeing student-athletes use the extra seasons for their careers.

Some athletes like Lowe and graduate student golfer JonErik Alford have the rare experience of a sixth season with their program.

For Lowe, coming back for a sixth year after losing two seasons to knee injuries was all about one dream: playing four seasons of college soccer. After missing the 202122 season, she said she had the support of her coaches in returning.

“There was definitely conversation with my coach about what my next step was,” Lowe said. “We just had an open line of communication with [head] coach Lori [Walker-Hock] about what my next steps were, and I told her that I wanted to come back and play again, and she welcomed me back with open arms.”

Lowe said returning for a sixth season allowed her to remain around the program as she went through a master’s program in sports management, adding additional experience as she moved toward her career.

“Like coach Walker says, I have thrived in a stressful environment for the past six years, so I think transitioning into real-life work and a job, I deal with hard things well,” Lowe said. “Being here for two extra years gave me the competence to make decisions that I might not have when I was an undergrad and only been here for four.”

Alford got off to a slow start in his college career, redshirting his freshman year but began to flourish as a graduate in year five, in which he said he finally got a chance to “breathe.”

Following a breakout season in which he competed in 12 events and earned a spot as an Academic All-American in 2022, Alford said coming back for an extra year was a chance to plan out his future as a pro.

“It kind of gave me the year I needed to get my feet under me, to get my plan set,” Alford said. “Get my vision for where my pro golf career is going to go.”

Alford said he’s finishing his master’s in sports management this spring, which works to complement his relationship with the men’s golf program.

“You can relate a little bit more to the coaches’ side. I get a little different perspective, especially from management and just 100 different things that pop up in a day for them,” Alford said.

Alford said he felt like his role doubled as a player and an unofficial graduate assistant, something men’s golf head coach Jay Moseley echoed.

“We do see him as kind of a student-athlete coach, or sort of a coach in the locker room so to speak,” Moseley said. “He knows the way we think and the way we do things, and he’s seen a lot through college.”

Moseley said it’s “great” that many student-athletes have used their sixth year for not only athletics but also academics, doing things that “otherwise may not have been possible.” Despite much experience coaching sixth-year student-athletes outside of Alford, he sees a lot of opportunities in the system, he said.

Lowe and Alford shared a similar sentiment in goals they made for their final seasons: leading their team to success.

Lowe and the women’s soccer team enjoyed some of that success, finishing with 11 wins and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last fall.

“I really wanted to get a group of girls together and lead them and be able to give them my knowledge and experience,” Lowe said.

For Alford, he said he has goals of competpeting with the Buckeyes at the highest level.

I want to see these guys compete hard at Big Tens, see what we can do there and just get to nationals and compete, compete as hard as we can,” Alford said. “We’re a top25 program pretty consistently now, so just trying to keep that level up and see if we can crack into the top 10 here soon.”

Moseley said while year six may not be a path for every student-athlete, he sees how valuable it can become in the right circumstances.

“Every situation is different,” Moseley said. “I think in some ways, year six can be hugely impactful for both an athlete and a program.”