Making TikTok videos, cards, and playing Monopoly. That's how South Dakota track star Brithton Senior intends to spend his second week of Spring Break. It certainly seems it will be more normal than his first.
 
Senior, a freshman from the northwestern tip of the island of Jamaica, was one of five Coyote qualifiers for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Except Senior was the last to know he had made the field.
 
Senior had just raced to a blistering 7.74 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles to win a Summit League title on the final day of February in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The mark was a career-best, a Summit League Championship meet record, and a new USD record, breaking the marks held by his coach and fellow countryman Teivaskie Lewin.
 
The time is fantastic, but only 16 Division I racers qualify for indoor nationals and Senior was tied for 16^th. Your second-best time of the season is the tiebreaker and Senior didn't have it.
 
"When coach (Lucky Huber) texted me that everyone declared and I didn't make the field, I was like, 'that's life, you just got to come back better for outdoor or your next indoor,'" said Senior.


 
Not a surprising response if you are able to spend some time talking to him. Even without NCAA qualifier on his resume, it was by all means a season to be proud of. He broke eight seconds for the first time in January, then quickly turned in a 7.82. He was under 7.8 on the first day of February and finished with the fastest time turned in by a freshman in the NCAA. He was named Summit Athlete of the Week twice and took gold at the Summit meet.
 
Senior was about to purchase a plane ticket to Florida for Spring Break to visit his uncle when he got an email from Huber.
 
"I was like 'what is this,'" said Senior. "And I read the email that I was added to the NCAA. So I don't have to get a ticket anymore. I need to get ready again."
 
A late scratch made Senior the only freshman in the field. Five days later, he landed in New Mexico. That was Wednesday.
 
That same day, NCAA President Mark Emmert announced that upcoming championship events, including the indoor track and field meet, would be conducted with only essential staff and limited family attendance.
 
On Thursday, Senior and his teammates got their first glimpse of the Albuquerque Convention Center for practice. They arrived around 1:30 p.m. and started warming up.
 
"It was well set up," said Senior. "I was like, 'yes, this is a national meet. Time to focus and just get some stuff out. Turn good things on the track.'
 
"After I warmed up, Lucky came into the warm-up area and told us the meet was cancelled. It's time to go. We left so fast that we forgot the (pole vault) poles. So we had to come back and then went back to the hotel."
 
It would have taken him less than eight seconds to do what he was there to do, but by Friday, Senior and the Coyotes were back on a plane headed for Vermillion. His other four teammates – Chris Nilsen, Ethan Bray, Zack Anderson and Helen Falda – are all seniors academically.
 
It was the basketball tournament that tipped Senior off. Once he heard that March Madness was cancelled, he figured track and field was shortly to follow.
 
Asked about the decision to cancel, he said probably what you would expect him to say.
 
"From a health standpoint, I like to go home. That virus is not a joke," said Senior. "But the athlete in me says 'I'm here. Let's compete.'"
 
By Friday night, Senior was back in his apartment making videos and waiting for the next time he can "Pass Go".