UPDATED: April 20, 2020 at 1:30 p.m.

Danny Varello, one of Syracuse’s face-off specialists, became the first senior from the Orange’s 2020 roster to announce that he’ll return for another season with the NCAA’s extra year of eligibility. In five games this season for No. 1 SU, Varello won 63.1% of the 65 face-offs he took while primary starter Jakob Phaup took 78.

“As soon as the news came out that the NCAA was even thinking about giving the year back, I was basically on the ball right away trying to see what I should do academically to come back for the fifth year,” Varello said in a Zoom call on April 20. “So it really wasn’t even a decision I had to make, it was just a, ‘Let’s just find out what I need to do to come back.’”

Varello became the fourth graduating spring athlete from Syracuse to announce their return on Wednesday. On March 30, the NCAA voted to grant relief to spring athletes whose seasons were canceled by the coronavirus outbreak, essentially bouncing the decision into the hands of individuals universities and their specific financial situations.

Softball’s Alexa Romero and tennis’ Guzal Yusupova and Miranda Ramirez all announced on Wednesday afternoon that they intend to utilize the fifth year of eligibility, but other schools, such as Wisconsin, won’t allow seniors to pursue that extra season. Syracuse athletics hasn’t commented on a decision yet.

When the 2020 season was canceled, Varello ranked 12th nationally and second in the Atlantic Coast Conference for face-off winning percentage — trailing only Phaup. After a sophomore season where he took 73% of Syracuse’s face-offs, Varello ceded the primary role to Phaup and the pair rotated in and out over the next two years. Against Johns Hopkins on March 7, in what turned out to be the season-finale, Varello won 9-of-13 face-offs.

“I think we definitely do depend on each other in the sense that our success does build off each other,” Varello said about his rotation with Phaup. “And if we don’t have that, it’s a whole other world.”

This post has been updated with additional reporting from senior staff writer Arabdho Majumder.

Published on April 15, 2020 at 11:08 pm

Contact Andrew: arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew