ARLINGTON – As the UT Arlington Department of Athletics embarks on another season in 2021-22, COVID-19 is still prevalent and presenting logistical challenges not only in North Texas but across the world.
 
However, just more than one year ago, UTA Athletics embarked on a mission to help alleviate some of those initial COVID concerns in a partnership with the on-campus North Texas Genome Center (NTGC) – one of the only such on-site testing programs executed by a collegiate athletic department in the nation.
 
Last year, and in many cases continuing to this day, the majority of collegiate athletic departments across the country needed to outsource their COVID testing and results to a third party, costing a significant amount of money and increasing the likelihood of results being delayed or otherwise impacted.
 
Ultimately, the in-house testing program saved UTA Athletics hundreds of thousands of dollars during a time when budgets were being significantly strained. Additionally, with the rapid testing and reporting of those tests, it enabled the department and university to immediately isolate and quarantine infected individuals and close contacts, helping minimize the exposure and resulting in a minimal number of athletic contests which could not be played.
 
In total, more than 10,000 clinical tests were performed by the NTGC during the course of the 2020-21 academic year – of which approximately 8,000 were administered exclusively for UTA student-athletes, coaches, staff and volunteers.
 
Testing began in advance of rapid tests being readily available for the masses, but despite that nearly 30 percent (just under 3,000) of all test results were reported the same day, and more than 60 percent (more than 6,000) were completed and reported within 24 hours. Not a single case of the more than 10,000 administered took more than 48 hours to receive results.
 
As a result of that quickness in results – which helped lead to the aforementioned immediate isolation and quarantining of close contacts of those affected – UTA Athletics only had six total games or matches during the entire year across all sports which could not be contested. All other competitions were either rescheduled or, if canceled, a result of COVID infections from other teams.
 
"The testing effort expanded our definition of team," stated NTGC Medical Director Dr. Florence Haseltine. "To test and get the results back quickly, large numbers of people who had never worked with athletes participated. Everyone at UTA who we dealt with wanted to help. In addition to the usual role our administration plays, they supported the NTGC's activities and managed the burden of getting it up and running and worked with purchasing. The faculty and staff of the NTGC built the testing capabilities, and the CIT computer technologists got the data to the government agencies. Our team expanded in ways we never considered. The university became one huge team."
 
"The partnership that was developed with Athletics, NTGC, Student Health Services and other areas of the campus allowed for extremely accurate tracking of COVID-19, and the information gained allowed for protocol development that protected both the student-athletes and athletic department staff in order to mitigate the spread of the virus," added UTA Senior Associate AD for Sports Medicine Roy Rudewick.
 
Below is a more detailed look inside how UTA Athletics and the NTGC teamed up to help the Mavericks get through a never-before-seen year:

• NTGC, fortuitously, received certification to perform human clinical diagnostic testing on campus in January of 2020. Shortly after UTA closed most of campus to on-site instruction in March of 2020, administrators began implementing on-site COVID testing for the UTA community following acquisition of the necessary materials and equipment.
   
• The university provided the resources to enhance the NTGC, but much of the equipment was already present and the staff was eager to contribute. The administration coordinated the laboratory testing needs by involving multiple UTA campus resources, including Purchasing, Office of Information Technology and Student Health Services, among others. It required a university-wide effort.
   
• NCAA and Sun Belt Conference officials put forth testing requirements, which for UTA was an establishment of three (3) tests of team travel party individuals each week, of which at least two (2) were to be PCR tests while the other could be an antigen test.
   
• Those individuals who tested positive were notified and reported to the athletic department and student health services, in addition to Tarrant County and the Texas Department of Health. Working collaboratively, the UTA College of Nursing and Health Innovation and College of Social Work – with the assistance of the Student Medical Service – provided a robust contact-tracing system.

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