This article has been updated to reflect new information.
A student athlete tested positive for COVID-19, according to an email sent on Oct. 31 by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Provost Phillip Rous and Vice President Lynne Shaefer. The email stated that “prior to receiving the test result, the team, coaching staff and support staff voluntarily quarantined out of an abundance of caution.”
The email did not identify the student athlete or the team they play for. It specified that no further updates would be provided “in order to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.”
Director of Sports Medicine Stacy Carone echoed this. “We left the sport out of the memo to protect confidentiality,” she said.
While UMBC and UMBC Athletics will not release the team the individual plays for, several student athletes claim that the student is from the women’s basketball team. This claim was confirmed today after a member of the women’s basketball team posted a video on her TikTok account saying that she was in quarantine after one of her teammates tested positive.
In the video, the athlete states that she was moved to a different dorm and has been there for a night. The post has since been deleted.
When asked to confirm that the student played for the women’s basketball team, Director of Community Engagement Marie Lilly stated that “In an effort to maintain confidentiality, we’re unwilling to share or confirm what team the student played for.”
This positive test comes after 15 men’s lacrosse players were permanently removed from practice in September after hosting a party off-campus. None of the players tested positive for COVID-19, however the party violated the university’s and UMBC Athletics’ COVID-19 safety protocols. This breach of protocol caused the players to be banned from team practices and activities.
Currently, the email states the university and UMBC Athletics is following “standard procedure for positive cases” and will contact any additional students, staff and faculty that might have had contact with the positive student athlete. All team members and team staff are currently undergoing a 14-day quarantine period.
