Junior spring athletes lost their recruiting season last year due to COVID-19. Now with their season approaching, they have to make up for what they lost.

Senior Jacob Hanna is involved in track and is going to attend the University of Illinois Springfield. He has been getting ready for the season by building stamina. 

“I always prepare for track by staying in shape during basketball,” Hanna said. “Which also increases my coordination. If spring sports get canceled again, I’ve already worked out a workout plan with the basketball coaching staff of the school I will attend next year.”

Hanna’s biggest concern with the loss of his junior season was that without it, he wouldn’t be able to reach his goals.

“My sophomore year,” he said. “I had just placed at State along with my teammate Ricky Nichols. We had some lofty goals, my biggest concern was not being able to reach those goals.”

All reactions to the loss of the spring season were different, but Hanna was at a loss for words.

“Both my parents ran track in college and I had ever since 7th grade,” he said. “I had no idea how to react honestly.”

Hanna stayed positive by looking at every aspect of the sport and continued to develop his skills.

“Definitely stayed positive using the time off to work on the mental aspect of my game and continued to develop my skills,” he said. “Knowing that adversity makes athletes better.”

Other sports have just as much trouble with the loss of the season just as much as track does, baseball is one of these sports.

Senior Gavin Djurovic has been involved in baseball and was concerned that not having a recruiting season would affect his college plans.

“I was just sad that I wouldn’t be able to play with my senior friends that year,” Djurovic said. “Also how it would affect my recruiting considering I didn’t have a junior season to recruit off of.”

Djurovic has many goals for his upcoming senior season. 

“I want to be a great senior leader, as well as make the state tournament.” He said.

Djurovic has hopes of fulfilling the goals he set for himself.

“I’m looking forward to the chance of playing with my friends and winning as much as possible,” he said.

Djurovic’s advice to anyone going through the same transition is to keep your head up.

“Just keep your head up,” he said. “Sometimes life is going to be tough, but the strongest people are the ones who get through it and make the most out of it.”