NCAA Division II women’s tournament canceled

CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The NCAA Division II women’s basketball tournament will not be played as part of the NCAA’s announcement to cancel all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships.

NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships, it was announced Thursday afternoon. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities, the NCAA said in their statement.

The Benedict Lady Tigers had traveled to Cleveland, Tenn., to take part in the women’s Division II tournament. The Lady Tigers were in the middle of a practice on Thursday when they received the news.

Also a casualty was Benedict’s Dawnel Collymore, who was scheduled to compete in the NCAA Division II women’s indoor track & field championship in Birmingham, Ala. Collymore was scheduled to compete in the women’s 800-meter run event on Friday.