Virginia women’s basketball cancels rest of season amid coronavirus pandemic
“We have the pleasure of coaching a very resilient group of young women who have fought through injuries, covid-19 protocol and all the mental battles that come with it,” Thompson said in a statement. “So the decision to end our season midstream comes with great difficulty.
“As difficult as it is to end our season in this manner, it is a necessary one.”
The Cavaliers also had to scrap one game this season because of injuries in addition to virus-related issues when they had just six players available for a matchup against George Washington.
Before the start of ACC competition, Virginia announced Nycerra Minnis and Tihana Stojsavljevic were out with season-ending injuries. Dylan Horton opted out for the remainder of the season, and Dani Lawson was nursing a serious leg injury.
The Cavaliers’ decision follows Duke Coach Kara Lawson announcing on Christmas Day that the Blue Devils would not play any more games this season.
Southern Methodist announced Dec. 30 it was ending its women’s basketball season after six games, all losses, citing concerns about the virus spiking across the country and leading to record deaths and hospitalizations.
San Jose State also announced Thursday that its women’s program would not complete the season. The Spartans had paused basketball activities twice during the pandemic.
The Ivy League opted out of all winter sports Nov. 12, and Cal State Northridge on the same day announced the cancellation of its women’s basketball season after six players withdrew out of virus concerns and another was unable to enter the country in time for preseason camp because of travel restrictions.
Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M and Maryland-Eastern Shore, all Historically Black colleges and universities, also canceled their women’s basketball seasons before they started.
“The health and safety of our student-athletes will always be the number one priority,” Thompson said. “We will continue to focus on their overall well-being and prepare to resume competition in the fall.”
