Two weeks after the NCAA voted to grant spring athletes an extra year of eligibility, Syracuse close defender Nick Mellen announced on Instagram that he won’t pursue a sixth year of eligibility.

“It’s bitter/sweet the way this all ended,” Mellen’s post read. “You always want to be able to say you went out on top. As much as I would love to come back for a 6th year, I’ve decided to close this chapter of my life and figure out ‘what’s next.’”

Mellen played in just one game during the 2020 season due to a left leg injury suffered in the season-opener against Colgate. The captain was close to returning when the season was canceled amid the coronavirus outbreak.

During his five seasons with the Orange, Mellen started 46 of the 47 games he appeared in, forced 101 ground balls and caused 55 turnovers. He missed all of 2017 with an injury but returned and earned All-American honors during his redshirt sophomore and junior seasons.

On March 30, the NCAA voted to grant relief to spring athletes whose seasons were cut short by the coronavirus. Syracuse, ranked No. 1 at the time, was powered by an offense led by seniors Jamie Trimboli and Stephen Rehfuss, and a defense that would have been headlined by a returning Mellen heading into Atlantic Coast Conference play. Instead, a combination of Brett Kennedy, Grant Murphy and Nick DiPietro — the three starters when Mellen was injured this year — will likely form the core of Syracuse’s defense in 2021.

“You’ve got somebody that’s been your top cover guy for a number of years now, and that was always a comforting thing that Nick at most times could go out and take the other teams best attackmen out of the game,” Syracuse head coach John Desko said on Feb. 12.