At a press conference Wednesday evening, Athletic Director Craig Littlepage reaffirmed the decisions of the No. 1 Virginia men's lacrosse team and No. 4 women's squad to continue their seasons and play in the NCAA Tournaments, after releasing an initial statement regarding the teams Tuesday evening.
The teams' futures have been uncertain recently because of a first degree murder charge made against senior midfielder George Huguely for the death of Yeardley Love, who was a senior defender on the women's team. Huguely scored four goals on the season and played in each of the team's 15 games but never started. Love played in 15 of the women's 18 games, starting in three contests.
Littlepage said he met with both teams Monday to discuss their options regarding the remainder of their seasons.
"It became clear over the course of that day that there was a certain amount of their attention that was on the future," Littlepage said. "And although they didn't speak about it and ask questions about it, certainly that was in the back of their minds. There was some uncertainty about whether this event would mean the suspension of the season or not. As far as conversation between the student-athletes and coaches, it was very clear to me that it was the desire of both the men's and women's lacrosse programs to continue playing."
But before the teams could resume play, Littlepage added that it was imperative the athletes' academic obligations were not hindered, particularly given the start of the final exam period.
"We felt very good about the possibility about both teams playing. We wanted to make sure before announcing anything that we had a clear idea of what accommodations would be made for the student-athletes
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