CHAMPAIGN – One day, the Illini golf team was packing for the start of the final swing, the six-week grind toward the NCAA Championship finals.

When news about the Coronavirus began spiraling out of control, senior Michael Feagles said, the Illini figured just one or two tournaments would be canceled. It all changed so quickly.

“Four or five hours, we were just done,’’ Feagles said. “The seniors had no idea about our eligibility. We thought our careers were over. It was emotional.’’

If there’s an Illini program feeling cheated by fate – and, truthfully, every athlete has a good argument – the men’s golf team has the pedigree and track record to back up any what-if argument.

Under coach Mike Small, the Illini have won 10 of the last 11 Big Ten Conference titles, and their active streak of 12 consecutive trips to the NCAA Championships is second only to Texas’ 13 berths in the national finals.

We’ve long talked about the remarkable accomplishments of this cold-weather program, which has given reason for Illini-heads to buy the Golf School T-shirts. After a slow start in the fall despite an experienced nucleus meshing with young talent, the Illini finally began building momentum this spring.

But the shut down to the season left Feagles and the other seniors contemplating their future while awaiting official word from the NCAA about a waiver for next season and two international players to locked down in Champaign-Urbana at a time when their American teammates were sent home.

There’s no official word from the NCAA about granting seniors in springs sports an extra year of eligibility. For that to happen, the NCAA must have to modify rules about scholarship limits, but that kind of change that also affects recruiting and roster size.

If the option arises, as expected, Feagles could decide between returning or turning pro, although there’s so much uncertainty now with pro leagues suspended and college programs hanging in limbo.

“There’s nothing going on right now, no pro tournaments or amateur tournaments,’’ Feagles said. “I need to consider what’s the best option for me, whether it’s going back to school or turning pro this summer or whenever tournaments pick up again. It’s going to be what’s best for me and my future.

“I have unfinished business in Champaign. This isn’t the way I wanted to go out. We were chasing our fourth Big Ten ring and chasing a national championship. It’s the middle of March. We were getting ready to make a championship run.’’

Freshman Jerry Ji, of the Netherlands, and Belgian Adrien Dumont de Chassart were left on campus, unable to get home because of the virus concerns overseas and the difficulty of returning to the U.S. So they are hunkered down in an off-campus apartment where they fashioned a mattress against the wall to continue working on their golf games.

“They put together a makeshift hitting bay,’’ Small said. “It’s fun to see them get creative and stay in the game as much as they can. They more or less had to say, but they like it here and they’re comfortable here.’’

With the Dimirjian Indoor Golf Facility closed, school shut down and social distancing a requirement, the two international students are “focused on academics and still thinking about golf,’’ Small said.

Feagles makes sure to keep up with the Ji and Dumont de Chassart, just like he does with the rest of the team. Like always, Small said, these Illini are close. It’s how he’s built the program. For a group of guys who went through 6 a.m. workouts and the grind that was nearing the championship part of the season, the Illini struggled with the suddenness of the NCAA sports shut down. For the Illini, that usually comes at the NCAA finals, where everyone knows the end is near.

“We all live in the same apartment complex,’’ Feagles said. “We’re together all the time. When you’re chasing a goal together, that unifies a team. All of a sudden, everything stops, and the university is telling us to go home. It’s surreal. The good byes were harder than usual. Those conversations were tough.’’

So as Illini basketball was crushed by finally qualifying for a tournament that never happened, Illini golf appeared headed toward its usual destination during the championship run. When plug was pulled on the season, the Illini were ranked No. 33 in Golfweek collegiate rankings, truthfully lower than the Illini like but still tops in the Big Ten.

Small felt the Illini were building toward something good.

“We could have been very competitive nationally,’’ Small said. “We had our worst fall on paper in probably 12 to 15 years. That was surprising to me, considering last year’s team and returning everybody. That’s old news. We learned from that last fall. This winter, we made a lot of steps with our mindset, vision and accountability. It showed in our first three events this spring. I thought our ceiling was high.

“I’m not one to talk smack about what could have been done, but the line was moving up. I wish I could have seen these guys play two, three or four more events and seen that momentum continue for this year and next year. ‘’

Who knows, Small said. Maybe another Big Ten title, stretching the streak in the NCAA Championships and possibly a berth in the eight-team match play finals.

“The potential is there,’’ he said.

Second- and fourth-place finishes to start the spring season, in addition to the match play win over Illinois State, showed the Illini were back on track. But just as the Illini were packing for that championship run, it all came to an abrupt end.

“Other spring sports were just starting,’’ Small said. “We were coming to the end.’’

The Illini want a mulligan on the spring season.