WPLL cancels its 2020 season due to coronavirus pandemic
The Women’s Professional Lacrosse League is the latest professional sports league to cancel its 2020 season, the WPLL announced Tuesday in a press release.
In addition to the loss of its third season, the 2020 WPLL draft has also been suspended. The league will instead host a “disbursement draft” this fall that will involve graduated college seniors and players not currently listed on the roster of any of the league’s four teams.
Several graduates from Anne Arundel County schools were already affected by the changes the WPLL had made earlier this year. The WPLL had announced in February that it would be trimming its five teams to four, bidding farewell to the Fire, and released its lists of “protected players” for the Command, Brave, Fight and Pride.
Kelsea Donnelly, a South River graduate, remains the Brave goalkeeper. Former South River standout and two-time Capital Gazette Female Athlete of the Year Brooke Griffin, who scored a momentum-shifting goal to help bring the Brave its first WPLL championship last year, did not make the cut. Neither did two-time all-county firstteam member Lauren Lea, an Archbishop
Spalding graduate who also played in the WPLL final for the Fight.
The 2020 season had been slated to begin June 13 at Stony Brook University in New York.
“We will always put the health, safety and well-being of our athletes, fans, partners and staff first,” WPLL CEO and founder Michele DeJuliis said in a press release. “A primary challenge we are facing as a league with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is the uncertainty of when the CDC, local governments and our host venues will allow for a full return to normalcy.
“While we are very disappointed, we remain hopeful for all that lies ahead. We made incredible progress during this offseason solidifying numerous multiyear partnerships that support our vision and passion for this league, and our dedication to driving women’s lacrosse forward at the professional level. Our focus will now turn toward ensuring an even bigger 2021 season. We look forward to staying in touch with our fans and partners via our social channels.”
The WPLL also postponed its Futures Summit. A new date will be decided upon no later than June 1.