By Anna Hansen
Feb. 9, 2021
Edgewood began testing its student athletes who are going to compete this spring for COVID-19 on Feb. 4.
Edgewood College President Andrew Manion told OTE in an email that the main purpose of testing athletes is to prevent the spread of COVID from one campus to another during competitions. “It is important to recognize that decisions made by Edgewood College regarding testing of student athletes are not made in isolation, but in the context of the NCAA as well as our own athletic conference (NACC)” said Manion, referring to the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
Edgewood’s athletes did not compete during the fall 2020 semester, per NACC guidance. Al Brisack, Edgewood’s director of athletics, told OTE that the lack of fall competition allowed the athletics department more time to expand its protocols.
“We are now preparing for all of our teams to compete during the spring semester,” said Brisack. “The traditional fall sports will have limited schedules because their NCAA championships were canceled. The traditional winter and spring sports will try to compete as much as we are able. Our main focus will be on maximizing those teams who lost their spring, 2020 competitions.”
Edgewood’s basketball teams have been competing since December and the men’s volleyball team has their first competition on Feb. 9. According to the Edgewood Basketball teams’ schedule, their first game was December 12, following the end of fall semester finals.
Brisack said that testing patterns will vary for each team. “Some teams have to test multiple times per week while others may only have to do surveillance testing of a percentage of the roster.”
Brisack attributed these differences to varying exposure risks between sports. “Our indoor sports will have a bit stricter protocols than our outside sports. Our high-contact sports will have a bit stricter protocols than our low-contact sports,”
Other colleges in the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU) are taking comparable measures. Carroll University, for instance, has returned to athletic competition for the spring semester and requires all students to be tested for COVID on campus as deemed necessary by the Student Affairs Department. Carroll has been offering testing on its campus since January 11, 2021.
Brisack showed OTE the protocols for Edgewood’s basketball teams, which dictate responsibilities such as maintaining a “Tier 1 team bubble” when involved in sports activities as well as a “roommate living bubble” when outside of team activities.
The term “Tier 1” refers to the NCAA’s classification of virus exposure within teams. It is the highest of three tiers. Edgewood’s basketball players must also complete COVID-19 educational training as well as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which detects the genetic material of the virus.
Additional protocols noted by Brisack are the requirement of masks during team practices and competitions, restrictions on designated eating and drinking areas, adjustments to venues, and limitations on whom Edgewood athletes compete against.
Brisack said the fall semester offered Edgewood’s athletics dept. a chance to expand its protocols, run trials, and maximize its mitigation strategies for the spring.
“We feel confident our protocols and commitment to them will allow our student-athletes to continue what they love while keeping them and our community safe. We are especially happy that Dane County Health agrees and have given us permission to continue,” Brisack added.
“This is where the NCAA has been the most helpful as they have also been able to get CDC input.”
Student athletes aren’t the only members of the Edgewood community receiving regular testing. According to Manion, students in Edgewood’s nursing program placed in clinical settings will also be tested regularly as required by their placement sites.
In addition, SSM Health has partnered with the college to ensure that clinical instructors are vaccinated, and plans to further the reach of the vaccine to more nursing students are underway, according to Ed Taylor, Edgewood’s spokesperson.
“With so many of our School of Nursing faculty and students serving in direct care roles during this pandemic, this demonstration of partnership by SSM Health is significant,” Margaret Noreuil, dean of the Henry Predolin School of Nursing, said in a press release. “Our students are seeing firsthand the critical role our healthcare professionals play in keeping our communities as safe and healthy as possible.”
Nearby, all UW-Madison students living on campus are required to be tested every 72 hours.
Student athletes’ tests will occur in the lower level of the campus parking ramp, which has been closed to traffic. Students will self-administer their own tests, which will then be shipped to a lab. The turnaround rate for results is anticipated at 24 hours, according to Manion.
Community members who have questions regarding testing/virus protocols are encouraged to contact Edgewood’s dean of students, Heather Harbach – deanofstudents@edgewood.edu.
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