Last Tuesday, William and Mary announced that classes would be cancelled Sept. 11 at 12:30 p.m. and that students would have to evacuate the campus by 5 p.m. the following day due to the anticipated effects of Hurricane Florence. This decision impacted both academic and sports calendars; most Tribe sports events from Sept. 12-16 were cancelled.
Many of these games and tournaments have been postponed and will be played at a later date, but at this time, only a limited number of events have announced potential makeup dates.
Tribe field hockey’s games against Wake Forest and Davidson Sept. 14 and Sept. 16 were road games, but they were postponed due to the impact of the hurricane in North Carolina. The Demon Deacons are looking to make up their game with the College sometime this week, but their ability to host the game is still in question. It is uncertain whether the Tribe’s game against the Wildcats will be rescheduled or cancelled. The College’s next scheduled game is at home against Connecticut Sept. 23.
While the men’s soccer team was able to play its match against Longwood last Tuesday, its Colonial Athletic Association opener against Charleston was postponed. The two teams are working to reschedule the match, but that date is still undetermined.
The Tribe football team’s home-opener against 14th-ranked Elon was planned for Sept. 15, but was also postponed. Thetwo teams are looking to reschedule the conference matchup. The College travels to rival No. 2 James Madison this Saturday, looking to pull off an upset and avenge a 46-14 loss at Zable Stadium last season during Homecoming.
Some tournaments and games that were scheduled during the evacuation have already been cancelled, though in some cases the Tribe is looking to find another tournament or game to replace the cancellation.
The men’s and women’s cross country teams were supposed to host the 60th Annual Cross Country Invitational Sept. 14-15. This event was cancelled, but the teams are trying to find another competition later this fall to replace this event.
After going 2-1 in the Colonial Classic, Tribe volleyball was set to host the 2nd Colonial Classic Sept. 14-15. The College would have hosted matches against Lehigh, Morgan State and East Carolina, but the tournament has been permanently cancelled. The Tribe will now hit the road for four straight matches and will not return to Kaplan Arena until its match against Delaware Oct. 5.
The women’s soccer match against Virginia Military Institute at 2 p.m. Sept. 16 was cancelled and replaced with a matchup with Virginia Commonwealth at 7 p.m. the same day. The College dropped a tight match to the Rams, 1-0, and will not reschedule the cancelled match against the Keydets.
The men’s golf team already had the weekend off, but the women’s squad intended to compete in the Pirate Intercollegiate at Greenville Country Club. This tournament was cancelled, but the Tribe is in the process of finding a replacement tournament later this fall.
Finally, the women’s tennis team was supposed to kick off its fall campaign with the ITA Hall of Fame Classic in Williamsburg Sept. 14-16. However, the tournament has been cancelled and the College will now begin its season at the Oracle ITA Classic in Malibu, California Sept. 20-23.
With students back on campus and classes in session, the Tribe’s sports teams should return to their normal schedules this week.